Spyker C8 Aileron: Aileron Coupe & Spyder to get ZR1 V8 plus hardcore versions planned

Spyker Aileron Spyder - will get the ZR1 V8 in 2012

Spyker are to drop the Audi V8 from the C8 Aileron and fit the ZR1 V8 instead, first in the Aileron Spyder and then in the Coupe. More hardcore versions will follow.

Last week an email dropped in to our inbox containing a quote from Victor Muller about the future of the oily bits on the Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder. Which intrigued us. So we went digging.

We already know that Spyker has moved away from the D12 having a V12 lump in favour of the V8 from the Zr1. In fact, it was Cars UK who broke the news that the Spyker Peking-Paris D12 would get a V8 and become the D8, as long ago as April 2009.

And now that Spyker’s favourite investor, Vladimir Antonov, is no longer persona non grata we can expect to see the D8 surfacing as production-ready sooner rather than later. But until now we hadn’t heard the same lump was heading for the Aileron. But it is.

Spyker are currently tied in to an engine agreement with Audi to supply the V8s for the C8 Aileron, which will continue to be used for the rest of this year. But they have a test Aileron running around with the ZR1 lump to shake down the Aileron with the more powerful American V8, which will then launch in the Aileron Spyder next year.

But it looks as if the plans don’t stop there. Our sources tell us that the ZR1 lump will also find its way in to the Aileron Coupe at the same time. Which makes sense. But the ability to squeeze more power out of the ZR1 lump means that Spyker will launch more hardcore versions of both the Coupe and Spyder with more horses – and at a steeper price – soon after.

Looks like Spyker are now starting to move forward, with a new engines and new versions of the Aileron Coupe and the Aileron Spyder in the pipeline (not that we’ve had any Spyders produced yet).

All we need now is a production-ready Spyker Peking-Paris D8 and the Americans should start queueing up to buy.