Originally, Spyker was a Dutch automobile manufacturer. In its new form, it produces racing cars of Formula 1, as well as hand-made luxury vehicles together with an accompanying fashion line.
In its very name, Spyker states its goal to reach even greater fame and accomplishments. The company was founded in 1880 by two brothers, Jacobs and Heinrich Yan, with the former passing away in 1929 in Holland.
The company's motto today is to sell hand made, and not assembly line cars. When it first started out, the company manufactured horse-drawn carriages, moving to airplanes (during WWI) and ultimately, and mainly, moving to luxury cars.
At first, Spyker was the only Dutch car manufacturer whose name was written only in Dutch, only later changing its name to Spyker, which was more easily marketed around the world. The company started operating in the city of Hilversum, and moved to an Amsterdam suburb in 1898. Spyker was the producer of the golden Dutch carriage in 1898, which is still used by the Queen of Holland.
Car manufacturing began in 1899, first presenting the 4-wheeled Bentz car and afterwards with 6 cylinders. This was actually the world's first single-engine 4-wheeled vehicle with brakes. In 1905 the company produced an additional model with a radiator, which became very popular before the first World War.
They came out with another model in 1907, which turned out to be a disappointment. But they continued to improve and ultimately the 18-horse-power model proved to be very successful in a Paris-Beijing race. After the founder's death in 1907 (sailing accident), the firm faced bankruptcy and was purchased by others, with the original second founder no longer being involved. |
