Spyker
C12 Zagato
Spyker,
the Dutch purveyor of "neoclassical" sports cars with
oh-so-modern-day performance characteristics, has launched its latest and, in
our opinion, greatest exotic automobile yet: the 2009 C12 Zagato. The C12 Zagato is the automotive
equivalent of sultry, racy, and spectacular to behold.
Unlike
the C8, however, the C12 Zagato takes retro to the design house in this case, as
the name suggests, to the house of Zagato Atelier. Zagato is reported to have
designed the full-leather cockpit with its brushed aluminum instrument panel.
The C12's fabulous interior craftsmanship is visible through another
Zagato-ism, the double-bubble glass roof. We also like the stainless-steel roof
rails, the Zagato-trademark chopped tail, and the turbine-blade wheels.
Now,
if the C8 looks like a fish, then the aluminum-bodied C12
Zagato is a shark. The C12's more predatory front end is one of many F1-derived
design details that Spyker incorporated into the C12 Zagato's swoopy body.
Others include the air-scoop "chimneys," the mirrors, the fuel flap,
and the diffuser. Among the more whimsical conceits are the scissors doors,
with a window-in-a-window treatment that reminds us of old De Loreans and
Lamborghinis.
More
to the point of any exotic is what lies beneath the sheetmetal: a VW-sourced
6.0-liter W12 engine that sends its 493 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of
torque to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic
transmission, the latter with F1-style paddles, of course. And in spite of all
its glitziness, the C12 Zagato weighs a mere 3300 pounds. According to Spyker,
the C12 will hit 62 mph in a searing 3.8 seconds, with a top speed of 193 mph.
If that's not enough, there's a supercharger option that bumps the C12's output
to 641 horsepower.
Only
24 of these spectacular Spykers built, retailing for an equally
spectacular US$ 650,000. Deliveries began in early 2008.
