Currently reading: Geneva motor show 2013: Spyker B6 Venator
Spyker has pulled the wraps of its new £100k Porsche 911 rival at Geneva

Dutch sports car maker Spyker is targeting the Porsche 911 with this new concept car at the Geneva motor show.

Although the B6 Venator is billed as a concept car for now, former Saab owner Spyker has said the model will make it into production in early 2014. It will be sold in key global markets, including Europe, for an estimated £100,000.

The B6 Venator is a mid-rear-engined sports car with two doors and two seats. Power comes from a V6 engine with more than 375bhp, with power sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed auto ’box.

The monocoque chassis is made from aluminium and the bodywork is fashioned entirely from carbonfibre. The car weighs less than 1400kg; a PDK-equipped 911 Carrera S with 394bhp weighs 1415kg.

The B6 Venator is 4347mm long and 1882mm wide, with a 2500mm wheelbase. That’s 144mm shorter but 74mm wider than a 911, while the Spyker’s wheelbase is 50mm longer than the Porsche’s.

The distinctive look of the B6 is full of references to Spyker’s early-20th century past as a maker of coachbuilt road and race cars, particularly in terms of the large mesh front grille. There are also nods to Spyker’s past as an aircraft manufacturer: the glass canopy of the cabin and design of the dashboard are both said to have been inspired by aircraft.

Company CEO Victor Muller, who will use the car to spearhead a renaissance for the low-volume maker, has designed the B6 Venator.

Last year, Chinese firm Youngman, which was close to agreeing a deal with Spyker to save Saab, bought into Spyker itself. Spyker retained the rights to Saab’s stillborn Phoenix platform when the Swedish manufacturer collapsed, and Spyker and Youngman together plan to volume-produce a range of both front-drive and all-wheel-drive premium models based on the platform.

In a separate deal between Spyker and Youngman, the two firms plan to put Spyker’s £160,000 luxury D8 SUV concept into production.

Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

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KiwiRob 8 March 2013

I wonder where they got the

I wonder where they got the V6 from, this like all Spykers is a stunning bit of kit, with an interior that few this side of Pagani can match.

AutoChomp 10 March 2013

Either Toyota (ala Evora form

Either Toyota (ala Evora form the Camry) or Maybe an enlarged Audi 3.0 SC from the S4 would be my guess. Especially as its going on sale in US it needs a engine thats already passed emissions. The Skyper website doesnt give anything away either. Both should be reliable units.

 

Outside option, the Ford Ecoboost V6. Again, already OK for the US.

EDIT: Scrap that, I think its definitley the Ford. They have a 365BHP version in the Explorer. Would make sense for US expansion.

Fred 5 March 2013

Do they use the Lotus Evora platform?

Does anyone know if they worked with Lotus for this project?  

Cyborg 5 March 2013

Nice

A pretty car.