Spyker C8 review

One, it is made mostly from aluminium and therefore weighs an impressively lithe 1425kg as a result. Two, although it’s meant to be a quick car, the Aileron’s prime motivation is not to destroy its opposition with raw speed. Instead, says Spyker, this car is built to charm its audience with a unique combination of style, grace, pace and exclusivity.

The fact that it’s not as fast as similarly priced rivals from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin et al doesn’t really matter, as far as Spyker is concerned – because Spyker knows its customers aren’t interested in pure speed.

What does matter, according to Spyker, is how the Aileron will feel, sound, look and satisfy its small band of merry owners, of which there will be between 80 and 100 each year, and all of which will already own a small fleet of much faster supercars as well. 

In many ways the Aileron is a peculiarly beguiling car, even if it isn’t as quick as you’d expect given its impressive power-to-weight ratio. The good bits include the thunderous noise it makes, the quite extraordinarily exquisite cabin design, the way it steers (which is to say, quite beautifully), and its handling and ride. Oh yes, and its bespoke Louis Vuitton luggage. No, really.

Spyker is dead proud of the fact that it is the first car company in the world to persuade Louis Vuitton to make luggage for its cars as an option. Then again, this particular option does cost, deep breath, just under 20,000 euros. More than anything else, this gives the clearest idea what sort of market the Aileron is aimed at. Namely, the very rich indeed.

The bad bits are the brakes which are snatchy but powerful, the slightly unamazing straight line performance, the poor rear visibility and, of course, the seemingly bonkers showroom price.

It’s only when you climb in and drive the Aileron that the justification for such pricing becomes apparent, however. Because when you ‘get’ the Aileron, when you discover how beautifully made it is inside and out, and appreciate just how much craftsmanship has gone into its creation, the price no longer seems quite so silly. In fact, it almost starts to seem like good value.