Spyker has returned once again, and this time it has brought something that feels almost deliberately out of step with the modern supercar industry. The new C8 Preliator XXV Coupé is a limited-run hypercar with an 800-horsepower V8, a six-speed manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive, and an aluminum body shaped largely by hand.
The car marks another chapter for a Dutch marque that has already disappeared from the automotive scene twice. Founder Victor Muller has revived the company again, presenting the Preliator XXV at The Quail during Monterey Car Week. Only 25 examples will be built, with each car individually commissioned.
The name Preliator means “warrior” in Latin, and the numbers certainly support it. An Audi-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 produces 800 horsepower and 1,000 Nm of torque, sending all that power to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. Spyker claims a top speed of more than 217 mph.
The manual gearbox is perhaps the most important part of the experience. Its exposed mechanical linkage is one of Spyker’s signature design elements, leaving the driver with a direct connection to the transmission. There are no paddles or automated shifts to hide a bad decision. Miss a downshift, and the car will let you know.
Instead of carbon fiber, Spyker has chosen aluminum for the bodywork. Every panel is hand-formed by Coventry Prototype Panels in England, while the aluminum spaceframe is built in-house. Each car reportedly requires around 2,100 hours of hand assembly, turning every example into something closer to a piece of automotive craftsmanship than a conventional production car.
The design also carries references to Spyker’s aviation heritage. A dramatic fin stretches from the roof toward the rear deck, recalling the company’s 1919 C1 Aerocoque and its early aircraft manufacturing history. The front intake feeds the V8, while exhaust outlets emerge directly from the rear deck. Even the taillights are shaped to resemble aircraft afterburners.
Inside, the aviation theme continues with turned aluminum surfaces, illuminated analog gauges, toggle switches, and an integrated head-up display. An intricate isogrid pattern inspired by aerospace engineering appears throughout the car, including the grilles, vents, pedals, and seat stitching. Spyker even gives the car a “butterfly mode” that opens the doors and rear clamshell together at the press of a button.
With a dry weight of 1,525 kg and carbon-ceramic brakes, the Preliator XXV combines its old-school construction philosophy with serious performance. Around €1.6 million is expected to be the price, although Spyker has not officially confirmed it, and most of the 25 cars were reportedly already claimed during Monterey week.
The C8 Preliator XXV may be one of the strangest new hypercars to appear in 2026, but that is precisely the point. While the rest of the industry moves toward electrification, automation, and increasingly digital driving experiences, Spyker has gone in the opposite direction. It has built an 800-hp machine where the driver still changes the gears by hand, aluminum is shaped by human hands, and the mechanical hardware is intentionally left on display. And don’t forget to check our list of the most expensive cars in the world.
