In the early 20th century, Dutch brothers Jacobus and Hendrik-Jane Spijker built some of the world’s finest automobiles, pioneering such advanced features as six-cylinder engines, all-wheel-drive, and brakes on all four wheels. Spyker automobiles participated in some of the most grueling and famed automotive races of the period, including the 10,000-mile Peking-to-Paris competition of 1905, while the company’s aeroengines powered fighter planes during World War I. The firm faded away after the war but reemerged 75 years later, still under the original company’s Latin motto of Nulla tenaci invia est via—“For the tenacious, no road is impassable.”

The Spyker C8 Spyder debuted at the Birmingham Motor Show in 2000 and was a complete stylistic departure from anything that preceded it. Design elements throughout paid homage to the company’s automotive and aeronautical legacy, most notably its aluminum spaceframe construction, fuselage-like styling with rear “cannon-port” vents and a prominent grille intake, and “Aeroblade” wheels with propeller-shaped spokes. The interior featured an intricate engine-turned dashboard fascia and backlit, chrome-bezeled gauges, as well as an open shift gate, a billet-machined pedal box with exposed linkages, and rows of toggle switches mimicking an airplane’s instrument panel. Underneath was a racing-bred chassis with double-wishbone fully independent suspension, a six-speed Getrag transaxle, and a 400-horsepower, 4.2-liter Audi V-8 engine.

The C8 Spyder became a force to be reckoned with in the supercar marketplace, and in its heyday was one of the most exciting, illustrious supercars to own, pioneering the craftsmanship and attention to detail that today highlights many of the world’s finest hypercars.

One of just 121 C8 Spyders built, the car offered here was ordered new by the current owner from Spyker of Silicon Valley in Los Gatos, California, finished in the optional color scheme of Midnight Blue with Magnolia quilted leather interior, and featuring the signature turned-aluminum trim and Aeroblade wheels. It remains in excellent overall condition, with just 2,632 miles at the time of cataloguing, and is accompanied by a copy of its window sticker, its factory tool kit, as well as original order paperwork and service invoices dated through 2020.

A Spyker is an amazing machine to behold, and this example—in striking colors, with extremely low mileage, and benefitting from single ownership since new—offers performance to match its looks.