1898 Two brothers, Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker, coachbuilders in Amsterdam, built their first Benz-engined motorcar, with which they won immediate acclaim for the craftsmanship of their bodywork. In the same year Spijker built the famous golden state coach, still in use today, to commemorate the forthcoming coronation of Queen Wilhelmina. This was the turning point in their business career: from that moment on the Spijker brothers committed their company fully to the production of motorcars. The business name was changed to Spyker, for easier recognition in foreign markets.
1903 Spyker introduced the 60/80 HP. It was an extremely advanced car: it was the first car with a six-cylinder engine as well as permanent four-wheel drive and four wheel brakes. In the same period Spyker introduced its patented 'dust shield chassis,' a chassis fitted with a streamlined under tray that prevented the car from making dust on unpaved roads. It was innovations as these that characterized the Spyker cars that quickly became famous for their quality and the ruggedness of their design. The Spyker models, with their characteristic circular radiators were especially successful in the Dutch East Indies and in Britain.
1907 Spyker's image was further enhanced when a privately entered standard model Spyker 14/18 Tourer became legendary after successfully competing in the famous Peking to Paris raid, organized by the French magazine ' Le Matin'.
The car was driven by Frenchman Louis Godard, who made only a few minor changes to his car prior to the rally: other gear ratios and bigger wheels. He decided not to take any spare parts with him, taking an enormous risk.
After three months of hard driving, only four cars finished what had been one of the most difficult rally's ever. The Spyker was one of them. During the race no parts had been changed and only the magneto had needed some minor repairs. The media were stunned to see that a standard car could have been so successful in such a grueling race.
1913 In the period preceeding World War 1, a worldwide slump in the luxury car market meant that Spyker had to diversify its production. The company started developing and building aircraft. During the war, Spyker built around 100 fighter aircraft and 200 aircraft engines, both of its own design.
1919 After the war Spyker resumed car production. In this period the company introduced the slogan still being used today: 'Nulla tenaci invia est via:' for the tenacious no road is impassable.
True to this motto, Spyker continued building record braking cars. Most famous of these is the Spyker C4. It had a special engine, built by the famous German engineer Wilhelm Maybach. It had a double ignition system with Bosch high-tension magneto and battery-coil ignition with two spark plugs per cylinder. The C4 was a powerful, dependable and luxurious car, earning it the nickname 'the Rolls Royce of the continent.'
1921 In an effort to stimulate international sales of the C4, Spyker set out to break the endurance record, previously set by a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. To prove the reliability of the car, Spyker used a standard C4 and set out a route between the Dutch towns of Nijmegen and Sittard. On that track a team of drivers continuously drove the Spyker for 36 days, covering a distance of 30,000 kilometres. No major repairs were needed to the Spyker C4 during the record drive.
1922 Famous British race driver Selwyn Edge was looking for a car with which he could break his own Brooklands double-twelve speed record. He chose a Spyker C4, fitted with special aerodynamic bodywork, but technically standard.
The Brooklands record consisted of two timed sessions of twelve hours, hence its name. Edge clocked an average speed of 119 km/h. He thought the reliability of his car "remarkable in every way..."
1925 The Spyker Company ceased trading, but the name has never been forgotten. Spyker became an icon, a brand name that stands for technologically advanced, exotic and dependable cars. That heritage has been passed over to the new Spyker and its cars.
2000 At the Birmingham Motor Show of 2000, the new Spyker Company introduced the Spyker C8 Spyder. The lightweight, mid-engined sports car won immediate acclaim from the international press and public alike.
The effort Spyker put in to build a unique car with a name that has become an automotive icon, was well rewarded. On 18 October 2000, Spyker was awarded the prestigious 'Institute of Vehicle Engineers (IvehE) Award for Engineering Excellence for Specialist Low Volume Manufacturers', an award sponsored by Corus.
Spyker returned to the international stage with a bang.
2001 At the Dutch AutoRAI 2001 Spyker introduced its second model: the C8 Laviolette. This beautiful coupe based on the Spyder features a glass roof, reminiscent of a jet fighter.
Spyker also announced that it would participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year. On September 11, at the IAA in Frankfurt, Germany, Spyker unveiled the C8 Double 12R, the racecar that was going to compete at Le Mans. Almost six months earlier, on March 21 the road going S-version had been introduced.
At the Circuit de la Sarthe, in the weekend of June 15/16 2001, for the first time ever, a Dutch racing car took part in the most legendary racing event in the world. For the first time in 80 years, a Spyker was racing again.
