Spyker Starts Sportscar Production in the UK

Spyker, who's 99 percent the new Saab owner, will produce the new Aileron model in Coventry in a plant run by its supplier CPP Manufacturing. The site, which previously hosted production of some Jaguar and Peugeot models, will produce up to five cars a week in one shift, Reuters reported quoting a Spyker statement.

"More than half our components are sourced from the UK, so moving here will bring us considerable efficiency savings," Spyker CEO Victor Muller said in a statement.

"Against a general backdrop of decline in UK car manufacture in recent years, today provides very positive news not just for CPP but importantly for Coventry," CPP managing director Brendan O'Toole added.

In terms of technical specifications, the 2009 Spyker C8 Aileron is powered by a mid-mounted Audi 4.2-liter V8 engine that develops a maximum power of 400 hp. There are two transmission configurations available, namely a rear mid-mounted 6-speed Getrag manual and a rear mid-mounted 6-speed ZF automatic with torque converter. The car sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds, with maximum speed rated at 300 km/h (187 mph).

“When we unveiled the C8 Aileron prototype here last year, we wanted to make a clear statement to the industry that Spyker was about to take the next step in its short but intense history, by introducing its second-generation sports cars, developed from scratch. Within a year we transformed that prototype into the production-ready car we show here today," Spyker's founder said during a press conference at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.