Sale Of Spyker In Progress: Report

Saab’s bankruptcy has hit parent company Swedish Automobile (Swan) hard. Expenses related to the bankruptcy have left Swan with liquidity problems, and its now faced with the prospects of selling its supercar brand, Spyker, or shuttering the operation entirely. Read more

Report: North Street Capital To Buy Spyker Cars

When GM spun off Saab in the dark days of 2009-10, it was exotic car builder Spyker that stepped up to the plate to buy the Swedish automaker. Spyker, backed by cash from Russian billionaire Vladimir Antonov, seemed capable of turning Saab from a struggling division of GM into a profitable boutique automaker, but that never happened. Saab’s current struggles with bankruptcy and reorganization are well documented, and now both Reuters and Left Lane News are reporting the potential sale of Spyker to a U.S. investment group, North Street Capital. Read more

Hawtai’s Deal To Rescue Saab Collapses

Bad news, Saabophiles: the latest deal to rescue the struggling automaker with an influx of capital from China’s Hawtai Motor Group has fallen through. Reuters reports that Hawtai was unable to obtain the necessary approvals, but it’s unclear if these were approvals from the Swedish government, the European Investment Bank or the Chinese government. The collapse leaves Saab without badly needed funding, although Spyker (Saab’s parent) insists that dialogue with Hawtai and other Chinese investors (including Great Wall Motor) is ongoing. Vladimir Antonov, the Russian investor with a somewhat questionable past, also remains interested in investing in Saab pending approval of the EIB and the Swedish government. Read more

Spyker Sells Luxury Car Business

The Spyker C8 Aileron was something of a mystery to buyers. On the one hand, its 600 horsepower, curb weight of just 2,750 pounds and top speed in excess of 200 miles per hour certainly qualified it for supercar status. On the other hand, Spyker never pitched the C8 against the likes of Ferrari or Lamborghini; instead, they billed the $220,000 ride as a “luxury sports car”, aimed at a more refined clientele. I’m not sure this strategy ever paid off, because outside of concours d’elegance events where Spykers were available for test drives, I’ve never seen one on the road. Read more

Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder Gone Topless and looking GREAT.

Spyker unveiled the Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder to the wealthy masses at this weekend’s Pebble Beach Concours.

As with its hard-topped twin, the C8 Aileron gets the same Audi-sourced 4.2-liter V8 mounted behind the driver and pushing 400 HP through either a six-speed manual or automatic tranny. In order to maintain the dynamic driving experience its price tag and power warrant, there’s a Lotus-designed suspension sitting under the attractive, though polarizing, metallic skin. Read more