Spyker is a Dutch luxury sports car marque established in 1880 by brothers Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker. The company is best known for its history in aviation and sports car racing.
The brothers started out as coachbuilders and built carriages for horse-drawn vehicles. In 1898, they entered the first Dutch car race, the Algemene Nederlandsche Automobiel Club (ANAC) race, and won the event. From then on, the brothers focused on building cars, and in 1903 they founded Spyker Automobielen N.V., with the Spyker name derived from the Dutch verb "spijken," meaning "to spike."
The first Spyker car was the 10/30 HP, designed by Jacobus Spyker and introduced in 1903. The car featured a four-cylinder engine and a lightweight chassis, and it quickly became a popular choice for racing and touring. In 1905, the company introduced the 20/30 HP, its first six-cylinder model, and in 1906 they released the first Spyker to be fitted with a four-speed transmission.
Throughout the early 1900s, Spyker cars were well known for their performance and reliability, and the brand became popular among wealthy and influential customers. Spyker cars were also successful in racing, notably in the 1906 French Grand Prix and the 1907 Italian Grand Prix.
In the 1920s, Spyker faced financial difficulties and eventually went bankrupt. The brand was resurrected in 2000 when it was bought by Dutch businessman Victor Muller and his company Spyker Cars N.V. In 2006, Spyker announced their first new car in over 80 years, the C8 Spyder, which was followed by the C8 Aileron in 2009. Both cars feature classic Spyker design elements combined with modern performance and technology.
