Imagine a supercar with ideal proportions, an elegant silhouette and sleek lines. Now imagine that same supercar festooned with all the scoops and air vents from a boy-racer's '93 Civic, and you'll have the Spyker C8 Aileron.
The Aileron, the latest offering from Dutch boutique automaker Spyker Cars, is making it's North American debut at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday. With an aluminum space frame more rigid than Max Von Sydow, an Audi 4.2 liter V8 and handling by Lotus, the Aileron is capable of grand transcontinental voyages, the likes of which even its airborne predecessors could only imagine. According to a press release, "modern finite element and numerical optimization methods has allowed Spyker's engineers to arrive at an exceptionally stiff structure of 22.000Nm/degree."
Sadly, apparently a $100 AutoZone gift card allowed those same engineers to riddle their gorgeous creation with more holes than the plot of an Ed Wood movie.
According to Spyker, the design of the $209,990 car is rooted in the company's aviation heritage -- never mind that the original Spyker is more famous for the Golden Carriage they built for the Dutch royal family and the racers they built during the early 1900s than for any aircraft. While the first-gen C8 and C8 Laviolette featured design elements incorporated from the propeller aircraft Spyker Cars' namesake built during World War I, Spyker Cars says the C8 Aileron is inspired by turbine engines -- hence the Alfalfa-style roof scoop. Of course, we'll also overlook the fact that no Spyker plane ever saw an engine more modern than a piston-driven propeller.
Exterior aside, the Lotus-developed front and rear independent forged aluminum double wishbone suspension system has an anti-dive and anti-squat setup, making the 4.5 seconds it takes the Aileron to get from 0 to 60 a lot more comfortable.
Combined with that rock-solid frame, the suspension drastically improves handling up to the car's top speed of 187 MPH. Inside, the luxury cockpit features Kharma's first ever automotive sound system and an optional Hulshof quilted leather interior with turned aluminum dashboard and Chronoswiss instruments.
If Spyker's not about to lose the OXO-worthy exterior accoutrements, we at least hope that well-heeled buyers care more about how well the Aileron carves up curves than its outward appearance, which suggests it could also peel potatoes.
Photos: Spyker
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