Spyker C12 Zagato

Ok I've looked at this thing from all angles a number of times, and me being so uncritical of things automotive or otherwise, I really was a little disappointed in this offering from Spyker and Zagato. One look at those beauties from Aston Martin that Zagato cooked up, led me to believe this one might be something pretty special too.

While the side profile is neither here nor there for me (though it seems a little high), it was the rear end that really killed it for me. What on God's good earth is going on there? I know Spyker has aeronautical ties, but whatever they were trying to achieve here definitely didn't work. On the other hand the front end is very cool and really looks the goods.

Sexy front end is the C12's one saving grace.

Well forgetting the looks of the car for the moment, the engine is another let down of sorts. The W12 from VW gets the cylinder count correct (as in my humble opinion a supercar needs 12, although Porsche's V10 is one of the few exceptions), they probably could have done a little more to the power figure, seeing that 500 hp can be had in a number of high performance sedans and more common cars. A supercharged option will give you 650 unbridled horses, but considering Spyker is only making 24 of these I thought they could do a little more to make this exotic truly exotic. The ideal step would have been to make their own engines for them. Call me a traditionalist if you will, but I miss the days when the marque you purchased has its own engine under the bonnet.

"I'll take the XL side skirts for my 1 of 24 Spyker thanks."

Ok so that isn't happening, but they probably could have coaxed some more naturally aspirated power from the W12 donk. Then again considering how their F1 cars are going at the moment, that might be a big ask.

I'll talk about the good points now, before I get sidetracked on those WHEELS! Being relatively light at around 1400kgs dry kerb weight the 500 hp W12 provides a claimed 0-100 in 3.8 seconds which isn't too shabby. Neither is the touch over 300km/h top speed.

Oh no!

All this is if Spyker can put them together though. Production capacity is full with the current and upcoming models, and a myriad of other problems such as posting a loss this year, F1 sponsors being hard to find and shareholders who don't get along may all signify the demise of the C12 Zagato. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing.

Spyker C12 Zagato

Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker unveiled the Spyker C12 Zagato at the 77th Geneva International Motor Show with the help of Victor Muller, CEO of Spyker Cars, and Andrea Zagato, CEO of Zagato.

Norihiko Harada, Zagato’s Automotive Chief Designer, and Muller co-operated closely to
design this limited edition of 24 sports cars to be delivered from March 2008 onwards. The world premiere of this ultra-exclusive version of the C12 range celebrates Spykers entry into the world of Formula One and marks the first integration of design elements and styling cues from the Spyker F8-VII Formula One car into the Spyker road car range. This point was underlined by the unveiling of the car being performed by Spykers Formula One race driver, Adrian Sutil.

Spyker C12 Zagato: the Rationale

After it became apparent that Spyker would succeed in acquiring the Midland Formula 1 team it was decided that the C12 Zagato should embody as many of the Formula 1 design cues as practically possible so as to set a new design vision for future Spyker road car models.

In the months following that decision, Spyker and Zagato finalized the design and the manufacturing of the C12 Zagato was entrusted to Spykers long time fabrication partner, Coventry Prototype Panels in Coventry, UK. Under the guidance of Brendan OToole, CPPs Managing Director, and tienne Beijersbergen van Henegouwen, Spykers Project Manager, the vehicle was built by a dedicated Spyker and CPP crew from aluminum in an amazing 4 weeks.

Spyker C12 Zagato: the Vehicle

The Spyker C12 Zagato is an all aluminum rear wheel drive sports car, based on the Spyker C12 Spyder. The C12 is powered by the 6.0 liter, 12 cylinder, 500 bhp W12 engine from Volkswagen AG and accelerates from 0-62 mph in 3.8 seconds. The Spyker C12 Zagato is equipped with a six-speed manual or automatic gear box with F1 style shifting, Chronoswiss instruments and a Zagato designed full leather interior with brushed aluminum instrument panel. The C12 Zagato has an aluminum body with stainless steel roof rails and has many F1 derived design details such as an F1 nose, air scoop, chimneys, mirrors, rain light, fuel flap and diffuser. It has a panoramic roof that features the Double Bubble, a typical Zagato style element. The Spyker C12 Zagato has a length of 177.4 inches, a width of 80 inches excluding mirrors, a height of 49.2 inches and weighs 3262 lbs. Top speed is 193 mph.

The Spyker C12 Zagato will retail for EUR 495,000 (excluding ORC).

More information on the Spyker C12 Zagato can be found at: http://www.spykercars.com/


[Source: Spyker Official Press Release]