Thursday 12th May 2005

Supercar maker to build SUV

Spyker plans Karmann/Audi-based off/soft-roader

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Spyker at this year's Geneva Auto Show. Next year, an SUV?

Following yesterday's story that Dutch supercar maker Spyker has delivered cars to Pinewood for the film Basic Instinct 2, news reaches us that the company is to build an SUV. Emulating Porsche, the Dutch car site Autoweek reports that it will use Audi engines in a Karmann-built body.

According to Autoweek, the company has borrowed four million euros to make the project happen and is erecting a factory in Zeewolde that will build the vehicle. You can expect to see the first prototype of the luxury off-roader appearing as soon as the Geneva Auto Show, spring 2006.

What next? Ferrari builds a tank?

• Autocar

[dinkel]

What's the interiour thing? Flaming lipstick red in the Basic instinct 2 car and here: mustard . . . Of all colours.
I'll call em ask if they need an interiour advice

Think it's the target group that likes that kind of overstatement . . .

[4WD]

These sportscar companies chasing dollars should be ashamed. Lets hope tvr and noble have more restraint.

[shadowninja]

4WD said:

These sportscar companies chasing dollars should be ashamed. Lets hope tvr and noble have more restraint.

shame really. I think the reason japanese sports cars have less of a cachet is simply because they produce cheapo hatchbacks too, hence Toyota came up with Lexus when focusing on the luxury market.

I fear the day the italian sports car companies start bandwagoning. I mean... imagine lamborghini building tractors

>> Edited by shadowninja on Thursday 12th May 12:22

[Dommo]

I'm eagerly awaiting news of Land Rover's two seater sports car

[tvrolet]

If the looks of their existing 'supercars' are anything to go by, then it'll make a Cayenne look positively beautiful by comparison.

Got to say these Spykers have to be some of the most butt-ugly and ill proportioned cars I've ever seen. Sure they're loaded with some interesting design/style touches, but if you don't get distracted by the bling, these things are just soooo ugly. All IMHO etc...

WB

[Twincam16]

If supercar firms want to build random shite, why not follow the Americans and the Japanese and invent new brands to sell them under rather than diluting the original car name? I mean, it's not like Lincoln suffers because it's associated with Ford, or Cadillac with GM, or Lexus with Toyota, or Infinity with Nissan.

IMO Porsche made a big mistake with the Cayenne. For a start, it's actually a VW Toureg with some different engines and an ugly body. For a start, what's the point of making prestige VWs when you could put an Audi badge on it and charge more for it? Secondly, why do a different version for a company with no history or cache regarding SUVs and create a great new sporting engine for the purpose?

What they should have done was just made the Toureg an Audi and offered a Porsche engine option. Then Porsche could have stayed in endurance racing where its spiritual heart lies, and put that V8 in a new 928 as well as selling it to Audi.

[lap_time]

No, no, no, NO! Bad Spyker, bad!
Me thinks supercar makers should stick to what they do best and leave the folly of urban tanks to more mainstream amnufacturers. Look at what happened when Porsche tried to go more 'mainstream'.


>> Edited by lap_time on Friday 13th May 10:00

[dinkel]

So, is Jaguar an exception?

[lap_time]

Yes, Jaguar is an exception, because their tanks look half decent and corners like something actually resembling handling, too.

[Ahonen]

Twincam16 said:

What they should have done was just made the Toureg an Audi and offered a Porsche engine option. Then Porsche could have stayed in endurance racing where its spiritual heart lies, and put that V8 in a new 928 as well as selling it to Audi.

Porsche needed the revenue from Cayenne to fund other things, like the ALMS racing programme it announced a couple of weeks ago. Porsche has never left endurance racing - only the level of its involvement changes.