Spyker CEO Victor Muller introduced the company's new convertible at Pebble Beach this year.
Dutch supercar maker Spyker is “moving forward” with plans to launch the new B6 Venator and the Spyder convertible version it unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance last weekend. But the upcoming introduction could run into one small hitch: Spyker has yet to decide where it will build the new model.
The Dutch company, which barely survived a disastrous attempt to resurrect Sweden’s Saab, is counting on the Venator to put it back on the map as a small but viable manufacturer of extreme machines. The Venator is expected to become the relatively high-volume model in the Spyker line-up, though it will continue producing the more expensive Aileron, as well.
But while development “has moved along very rapidly,” according to Spyker Chairman and CEO Victor Muller,” there are still a few snags. Most significantly, the little carmaker has to decide where to build the car. Contrary to numerous media reports, Muller said Spyker has not chosen the Finnish-based Valmet, a specially manufacturer perhaps best known for producing versions of the Porsche Boxster.
Valmet is still in the running, but so are two other options, Muller told TheDetroitBureau.com.
Meanwhile, Spyker is locking down other details that include the source of the B6 Venator engine. The Dutch company will no longer use an Audi powertrain, the executive said, declining to give other details other than to say the Venator will have a V-6 engine sourced from an “A-list” carmaker.
Both the B6 coupe and convertible versions will make somewhere between 375 and 380 horsepower in production trim, Muller promised.
The vehicles will also feature lightweight carbon fiber body panels that will significantly enhance both performance and fuel economy. For the convertible, the Dutch company has opted for a more conventional cloth top, rather than a folding hardtop found on competitive offerings such as the Ferrari California.
(Click Here for more on Spyker’s big plans for B6 Venator.)
The Spyder model is expected to come to market at around $150,000, and “everyone thinks it on the cheap side,” suggested Muller, “which is good.” Older Spyker products, such as the Aileron, pushed north of $250,000.
Expect the U.S. to be one of, if not the, largest market for the Spyker B6 Venator, and Muller expects the Spyder will account for 70% of American demand.
Despite the key decisions left to be made, he told TheDetroitBureau.com that the Venator Coupe remains on track for an August 2014 launch, with the Spyder to follow “a few months later.”
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Separately, Muller noted that Spyker is moving ahead in its appeal of a U.S. federal court decision that tossed out a $3 billion lawsuit against General Motors. The Dutch firm purchased Saab from GM only to have the Swedish brand fail when it couldn’t raise enough money to keep the operation going. Spyker accuses GM of scuttling a rescue effort by refusing to let Saab either partner or sell out to several interested Chinese automakers.