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Spyker B6 Venator concept (2013) first official pictures
By
Ollie Kew
05 March 2013 15:28
This is the Spyker B6 Venator. It's saddled with a cheeky 'concept car' tag for its 2013 Geneva motor show debut, but the B6 will enter production in early 2014, sporting a price tag of around £100,000. Would you have to be mad to spend Porsche 911 GT3 or Aston Martin V8 Vantage money on such an upstart contender? Read on for the spec details...
£100k? How much power do I get in the Spyker B6 Venator for my money?
Sitting amidships in the B6 Venator is a 375bhp V6 petrol engine, driving the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox. No official performance figures have been released, but we do know the V6 is pushing along a carbonfibre body: the Venator weighs less than 1400kg. That's Porsche Cayman kerbweight territory, despite the two-seat B6 being dimensionally larger than the baby Porsche.
Talk me through that crazy Spyker styling...
As usual for a Spyker, there's plentiful aerospace design cues, like the polished 19-inch propeller-style wheels and jet engine-aping air intakes. The glass canopy is inspired by a modern fighter jet's, as are the 'afterburner' rear lights. The exposed gear selector mechanism, turned-aluminium dashboard and V-shaped front grille mesh are all influenced by Spyker's pre-Second World War aircraft back catalogue.
Wondering about the name? 'Venator' means 'hunter' in Latin, a nod to Spyker's 1920's aircraft, also christened 'Hunter'.
Can Spyker really become a serious sports car contender?
Spyker says the B6 marks the start of its 'new era', following its failed save-Saab scheme. The marque turned a €125m profit in 2012 thanks to new investment and re-managing its shareholder debt. Spyker CEO Victor Muller said: 'There is no denying that Spyker went through a very rough period in recent years. However, today we prove the truth of our motto since 1914, 'Nulla tenaci invia est via' - 'For the tenacious no road is impassable.''
The real reason behind the B6 Venator is it allows Spyker to enter a slightly less rarefied market, and take on the sports car big boys. With Spyker enthusiasts asking for a less expensive way into ownership than the £220,000+ C8, the B6 is the answer to their wishes, and Spyker's bottom line. When B6 Venator production is fully geared up, and an open-top model joins the range, Spyker hopes to shift several hundred units a year.
