‘First signs of life expected within a few months’
In the category of ‘nice surprises’, we have a very beautiful one for you today. The Dutch supercar brand Spyker appears to be reviving, with former CEO Victor Muller and involvement from ‘Spyker hero’ Jasper den Dopper.
The concrete news is that Victor Muller, founder and former CEO of Spyker before it went bankrupt, has regained the brand rights to Spyker. Of course, the gentleman doesn’t necessarily have to do anything with them, but reportedly that is going to happen. Perhaps the best news is that Jasper den Dopper, driving force behind ‘SpykerEnthusiast’ and the only one who can keep the existing Spyker fleet running with parts and maintenance, is also involved in the reborn Spyker. Together with Muller, Den Dopper wants to work on the brand’s resurrection. Den Dopper: “My first priority is completing my current projects and continuing to maintain all Spykers worldwide. Meanwhile, ‘SpykerEnthusiast’ needs to become much more professional and we’re working toward a future where we’re still enthusiastic, but acting more like an OEM” [like an automaker, ed.]
The reborn Spyker wants to position itself in the same way as the brand that disappeared from the stage eleven years ago, but that doesn’t mean we should expect exactly the same cars. Den Dopper: “You can’t just start building a Preliator or Aileron, because those cars are simply old now. Therefore, we’ll really have to work on something new, possibly with suppliers from abroad.” Does that also mean Spyker will leave the Netherlands? Certainly not: “It will be a Dutch company and will also be established in the Netherlands.”
The bankruptcy of Spyker Cars was announced in 2014, but Spyker revived shortly after. In its new form, the company lasted for a while longer, but in those years it quickly became clear that it would become difficult again for Spyker. In 2020, a new bankruptcy was announced and since then the case regarding the brand rights has been dragging on. Meanwhile, Jasper den Dopper has been working concretely on Spykers from Veghel for ten years, but under the banner of his own company SpykerEnthusiast. That company put almost all parts back into production and is essentially already capable of building a new Spyker, but so far has focused mainly on the ‘old’ C8 models.