Spyker C8 Aileron

Spyker Cars' C8 line has been around for a couple years now. The C8 Aileron prototype concept car was shown to great critical reception at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2008, but Geneva 2009 brings the full, glorious introduction of the next generation C8 model, the 2009 Spyker C8 Aileron.

The second-generation C8, of which the Aileron is the first edition, keeps the classic Spyker design details intact. It is a car with functional and ornamental scoops, inlets and outlets in all the right places, but unlike the C8 Laviolette and Spyder before it, the 2009 C8 Aileron doesn't look overburdened with too many flashy design details.

The general design theme set forth by the Aileron has shifted to echoing the turbine engines found on classic airplanes. The turbine theme extends to the air intakes, lighting, exterior venting and details, and most of all in the knockout-gorgeous 19 inch multispoke the wheels.

The C8 Aileron "Aeroblade" 19s, which are some of the most beautiful wheels ever featured on a production car, show a 10-spoke design that does justice to the claim that they are styled like the blades of jet engines. Finished in chrome and wrapped in 235/35-19 tires up front with meaty 290/30-19 rubber in the rear, C8 Aileron cars equipped with the Aeroblade will instantly stand out from anything on the road, or even on the green at Pebble Beach.

Power is not abundant for a car of this prestige and price bracket; the only engine choice is an Audi-sourced 4.2 liter V8 spitting out 400 horsepower. Two transmissions are available: a Getrag 6-speed manual or ZF 6-speed automatic. Either choice should put the power to the street just fine, but enthusiasts will go for the Getrag as a matter of course.

With an all-aluminum chassis and a lift-off two piece body wrapping the supple interior and mid-mounted V8, the C8 Aileron should make the most of the power present with what should be an extremely light curb weight. The car is for those who think about design first, and from the scissor doors to body curves that look perfectly excecuted from any angle, it should not disappoint its intended clientele.