The Spyker C12 Zagato is a limited edition, all-aluminium, mid-engine/rear-drive exotic luxury

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

from

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

automobile manufacturer

Spyker Spyker or Spijker was a Dutch carriage, automobile and aircraft manufacturer, started in 1880 by blacksmiths Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker. Originally located in Hilversum, the company relocated to Trompenburg, Amsterdam in 1898. Notable produ ...

. It is based on the C12 platform, alongside the Spyker designed C12 La Turbie which debuted the previous year, and features a unique body designed with help from Italian design house

Zagato Zagato is an independent coachbuilding company and total design centre located northwest of Milan in Terrazzano, a small village near Rho, Lombardy, Italy. The company's premises occupies an area of 23,000 square metres (250,000 sq ft)- 11,000 of ...

On March 6, 2007, Spyker announced the C12 Zagato at the

Salon International de l'Auto The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by the ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

. The

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

ese design house

co-designed the model. The C12 Zagato featured all-new design elements inspired by Formula 1. Though the exterior styling is somewhat of a departure from the C8, it retained key features of the C8 such as the scissor doors, interior styling, and general aviation theme. The C12 Zagato is powered by a 6.0 L W12 engine sourced from

VW Group Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercia ...

(the same engine as featured in the

Audi A8 The Audi A8 is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi since 1994. Succeeding the Audi V8, and now in its fourth generation, the A8 has been offered with both front- or permanent all-wheel drive—and in s ...

and

Volkswagen Phaeton The Volkswagen Phaeton ( ) (''Typ'' 3D) is a full-size luxury sedan/saloon manufactured by the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen, described by Volkswagen as their "premium class" vehicle. Introduced at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show, the ...

). For the C12 Zagato, Spyker Cars have tuned the W12 to produce 500 PS. The C12 Zagato was to be offered with a choice of a 6-speed automatic gearbox with paddle-shifters or a traditional 6-speed manual. The Spyker C12 Zagato was priced at EUR 495,000 (approximately US$740,000 or £450,000), and Spyker planned to produce only 24 cars, with deliveries set to begin in early 2008. However, in July 2007, it was announced that C12 production was delayed, and a couple of months later in October announced that it was cancelled, as Spyker had decided to focus their resources on other models such as the C8 and then-upcoming SSUV. Reportedly, only one prototype was built before production was cancelled.

Performance

The C12 Zagato develops and from the specially-tuned W12 engine. With a KERB weight of , the Spyker will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, and then on to a top speed of . Braking is accomplished by steel ventilated discs and features

anti-lock braking An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is a safety anti-skid braking system used on aircraft and on land vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. ABS operates by preventing the wheels from locking up during braking, thereby maintainin ...

References

C12 Zagato Sports cars Coupés {{modern-auto-stub Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles