Alcyon is een historische Franse fabriek voor fietsen en motorfietsen, die in 1903 werd opgericht door Edmond Gentil, een ex-medewerker van Peugeot. Het bedrijf behoorde jarenlang tot de grootste Franse fabrieken en was eigenaar van diverse merken. De bedrijfsnaam was Ets. Gentil et Cie, later Société des Motos Alcyon. Het bedrijf was aanvankelijk gevestigd te Neuilly-sur-Seine, en later in Courbevoie.
Edmond Gentil werkte bij Peugeot, waar hij in opdracht van constructeur Emile Amstoutz motorfietsen prepareerde voor de race Parijs-Madrid van 1903. Deze werden echter onder de naam Griffon ingezet, om problemen te voorkomen tussen de beide Peugeot bedrijven les fils de Peugeot frères en S.A. des Autmobiles Peugeot. Peugeot besloot het merk Griffon in een afzonderlijke fabriek in Courbevoie te produceren, en Gentil wilde daar directeur worden. Toen dat niet gebeurde nam hij verschillende medewerkers mee en richtte zijn eigen bedrijf op.
Aanvankelijk produceerde het bedrijf fietsen. In 1903 al 3.000 stuks en in 1909 was dit aantal al opgelopen naar 40.000 stuks. Nadat al een tweede fabriek in Courbevoie was geopend, werd in 1904 de eerste motorfiets geleverd. Alcyon werkte aanvankelijk samen met Zedel. Toen deze Zwitserse fabrikant van inbouwmotoren in 1906 een fabriek in Frankrijk opende, had Alcyon daar een groot belang in. In 1907 sloot Zedel zijn fabriek in Saint Aubin en werd Alcyon volledig eigenaar van Zedel.
In 1926 werd Alcyon Italia opgericht. Deze fabriek in Turijn assembleerde enkele jaren de Franse modellen voor de Italiaanse markt.
1921
1921 Alcyon with twocylinder boxermotor tricycle
De Alcyon Gentile tricycle uit 1936 was een eigen ontwikkeling van Edmond Gentil. Dit was een bijzonder voertuig, met een 250 cc zijklepmotor die boven het voorwiel was gemonteerd en dit rechtstreeks via een ketting aandreef. Eigenlijk was de productie van tricycles destijds allang gestaakt, maar Gentil dacht dat er in de crisistijd toch een markt voor was. Dit bleek een vergissing.
Na 1945 concentreerde Alcyon Italia zich op moderne twee- en viertakten tot 248 cc, met name op lichte (bromfiets-) en scootermodellen. Motoren werden gedeeltelijk door AMC(Alcyon-AMC), Zürcher en VAP geleverd. Halverwege de jaren vijftig werd het bedrijf ingelijfd door het Peugeot-concern. In 1958 fuseerde Alcyon met Lucer, waarna alleen nog bromfietsen werden gemaakt. Tussen 1966 en 1970 werd de productie beëindigd.
Auto’s
1902 Alcyon ad
1908 Alcyon
1905 Alcyon ad NL
1908 Alcyon race auto
1925 Alcyon
Tussen 1902 en 1928 produceerde het merk Alcyon lichte autootjes met enkele cilinder of een tweecilinder boxermotor.
Edmond Gentil started the manufacture of bicycles in Neuilly, Seine. In 1902, this was complemented by motorcycle production and in 1906, the first cars were shown at the fair “Mondial de l’Automobile” in Paris, France. Also in 1906 it founded the professional Alcyon cycling team which was active until 1955, including winning the Tour de France 6 times.
Motorcycle racing
In 1912 Alcyon competed at the Isle of Man TT races with a 348cc single-cylinder engine featuring two inlet valves and two exhaust valves. Both bikes failed to finish the Junior TT race.
Alcyon had local success in France during the 1920s, with riders such as Marc Jolly, Marcel Mourrier, Jean Durand and Lucien Lemasson winning races. During this time too, this bicycle brand got its nickname “l’intrépide Alcyon”.
Voiturettes before the World War
Two models were shown in 1906, one a two seat light car with single-cylinder 950 cc engine and a larger four seat model with 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine. Both engines were bought in from Gentil. The cars were advanced models with 3-speed gearboxes and shaft drive. However, the single-cylinder models were dropped in 1912 and larger models of up to 2120 cc were added to the range. By then, most of the engines were obtained from Zurcher.
In 1914, the company’s name was changed to Automobiles Alcyon. After the war, the first model was a 1914 cc four-cylinder model, some examples of which were tuned and sold by the Lyons agent as Alycon-GLs and performed quite well in competition. However, the car was not a success and did not sell well, so in 1923, Alcyon moved into the production of cyclecars, using 500 cc two-strokeflat-twin engines in a design bought from SIMA-Violet. Later the company manufactured another cyclecar of similar design, thought this one featured a single-cylinder engine. This proved a complete flop, and the company failed in 1928. Alcyon never sold cars again.
References
Jump up^Tragatsch, Erwin; Ash, Kevin (2000). The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Motorcycles. London: Quantum Publishing. p. 119. ISBN1-86160-342-8.
single dry-plate clutch to a 4-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on all speeds or
automatic clutch and 4-speed preselective gearbox
divided propellor shaft, back section in a torque tube
final drive by underhung worm is housed in a banjo-type casing
twin Zenith downdraught carburettors with a balance pipe and hot-spot fed from a 16 gallon tank at the back, ignition by magneto with automatic advance mounted vertically towards the rear of the V
a water pump is mounted either side of the timing case. The radiator has a fan and thermostatically controlled shutters. The sump is ribbed at the sides
Autovia was a short lived brand of British car from Coventry existing from 1935 to 1938 with production starting in January 1937. The venture was ambitious and even included setting up a school for chauffeurs. The cars were expensive and it was a market sector well served by other companies. 44 cars were made.
Large luxury cars
The company was created by Riley as a subsidiary to produce large luxury cars and a new factory was built. A 2849 cc 90°V-8, triple camshaft engine was developed from a pair of 1½-litre Riley engine blocks and coupled to either a conventional four speed manual gearbox or in a few cases a pre selector unit bought from Armstrong Siddeley. Drive was to the rear wheels through a live axle with worm gear final drive.
Three body types were advertised, a Sports saloon, a Special Saloon with extra leg room at the expense of boot space and a limousine mostly built by Arthur Mulliner of Northampton who were London distributors. The car was also available as a bare chassis.
The venture failed when Riley went bankrupt. When they were taken over by the Nuffield Organisation Autovia was not resurrected.
There were thought to be eight of these cars remaining in 2008.
The limousine was considered remarkable for its width being more than its overall height yet the floors were flat and a tunnel and wells avoided at the back. “The general low set helps stability” said The Times, “the models are well equipped, as they should be for the price”.
Specification
The specially designed chassis frame permits a low overall height and low floor line.
In addition to the details in the box on the right:
wheels: Dunlop centre-lock wire 3.50″ x 19″ with nave plates
tyres: 5.5″ section on 19 inch wheels
suspension by semi-elliptic springs from the two rigid axles is controlled by hydraulic shock absorbers, their resistance is controlled by the driver
braking on all four wheels is mechanically actuated by rods with wedge operated shoes in 16 inch drums
steering by worm and nut
lubrication (of chassis items) is centralised and automatic
Pricing
In a prior announcement 10 October 1936 Victor Riley revealed there would be two models available in addition to the bare chassis all with an automatic clutch, a preselective gearbox and a worm driven back axle. Prices would be:
chassis £685
five-seat saloon £975
limousine £995
The London distributors would be Arthur Mulliner Limited of 54 Baker Street, W[8]
The Autovia was also available as a bare chassis
Open two-seater
registered September 1939
Notes
Jump up^Autovia Cars —Manufacturers of and dealers in and hirers of automobiles, motor vans, and lorries, &c.
Nominal capital, £60,000, in £1 shares.
Company Registrations, The Times Tuesday, Dec 17, 1935; pg. 21; Issue 47249
References
Jump up^Sedgwick, M. (1989). A-Z of Cars of the 1930s. Devon, UK: Bay View Books. ISBN1-870979-38-9.
Intended as a rival to the likes of Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Alvis, Autovia Cars Ltd was founded in December 1935 with a start-up capital of £60,000. Helmed by Victor Riley of the famous car manufacturing dynasty, Charles Van Eugen and S. Gordon Marshall (the latter two acting as Chief Engineer and General Manager respectively), the new concern fielded a car which won its class at the 1936 Ramsgate Concours d’Elegance before going public during the following year’s Earls Court Motor Show. Available in bare chassis (£685), sports saloon (£975) or limousine (£995) guises, the Autovia range was powered by an advanced 2849cc OHV V8 engine boasting three camshafts, two Zenith carburettors and a Vertex Scintilla magneto. Credited with developing some 100bhp, it was allied to a choice of four-speed Armstrong Siddeley pre-selector or ZF manual transmissions and reputedly endowed the cars with a 92mph top speed. Supplied by Rubery Owen, the box-section Autovia chassis featured an underslung back axle (complete with David Brown worm final drive), Girling rod-operated drum brakes and Luvax adjustable shock absorbers. Showing signs of Bugatti influence, the front suspension utilised semi-elliptic springs whose leaves passed directly through a beam axle. Despite glowing reports in ‘The Motor’ and ‘Riley Record’ magazines praising the solidity, sure-footed handling and comfort of its products, the marque failed to make headway amid an already overcrowded marketplace. With total production thought to have accounted for just thirty-six cars, Autovia followed a beleaguered Riley into receivership on March 16th 1938.
Bodied as a four-door Sports Saloon by Arthur Mulliner of Northampton and London, ‘GHX 1’ was first road registered on May 12th 1938 (or so an accompanying buff logbook would imply). Although, the first few years of its life are a mystery, the Autovia is known to have migrated from Middlesex to Staffordshire over the last seven decades. A source of confusion to various road tax licensing offices en route – London County Council labelling it as an ‘Autoria’ (1950) while Berkshire County Council settled on ‘Austin’ (1954) – the car was reportedly supplied to both its penultimate and current keepers by garagiste Arthur Saxty of Sunningdale Motors Ltd. A previous custodian himself, Saxty is rumoured to have only let ‘GHX 1’ go a second time in order to fund the purchase of a Duesenberg. Last issued with a MOT test certificate by Chiltern Autos Ltd on May 3rd 1962, the Autovia has been in the current ownership for the last forty-four years. Carefully dry stored for much of that time, it appears to have been very well preserved. The engine which is said to have been “running perfectly well” when the Autovia was taken off the road was later stripped down and inspected.
1938 Autovia V8 Mulliner Limousine
Today, it contains clean oil and “turns easily on the starting handle” (though, the unit has not run for a long time due to concerns over the age of various seals and bearings etc). Although scruffy the black paintwork has done a good job of protecting the bodywork which seems substantially sound. While inside the beige leather upholstery, biscuit headlining and wood veneers all exude a wonderful patina. From the geometric patterns on its door cards to the delightful intricacy of its boot-hinge design, the Autovia is awash with charming details. Riding on nineteen-inch wire wheels, it sports Lucas supplied tri-bar headlights / spotlights / horns, twin Cornercroft ‘Ace’ spare wheel covers and a boot-mounted tool kit (incomplete). Displayed at the 1986 Coventry Riley Rally to celebrate Autovia’s fiftieth anniversary, the Sports Saloon has been written-up by the Riley Club and is known to the marque register. A potentially rewarding restoration project and a true Post Vintage Thoroughbred, ‘GHX 1’ is offered for sale with the aforementioned buff logbook and expired MOT certificate as well as an owner’s handbook, V5 registration document, starting handle and sundry paperwork.
PLEASE NOTE: Since the catalogue went to press we have been contacted by Gordon Thomas of the Autovia Car Club who has kindly provided the following extra information “I would like you to know that as far as I am aware this is the only Special Saloon manufactured and it was displayed on the 1937 Motor Show stand. I think all the other saloons were tagged Sports. The distinction is that the Special saloon had more legroom, a smaller boot and a different contour round the back quarter. Also it was offered for the same price as the Limousine (995) rather than the lesser saloon price of 975.
There were actually 44 cars made (I cannot tell you the split between Saloons and Limousines but I think it was heavily biased towards saloons). For a long time there was a theory that only 36 were manufactured but since I have been involved we have satisfied ourselves that there was a complete run from 63101 to 63144. The suspect empty run from 63113 to 63120 has now been populated with 4 cars (3,4,6 & 8) suggesting that there were no gaps in production. Of the production cars I can identify there were 29 saloons, 1 special saloon and 5 limousines. I have no definite record of the other 9 cars”.
Stanley H. Arnolt (bekend als “Wacky Arnolt“) was een Amerikaanse zakenman. Hij is in de autowereld bekend geworden doordat hij onder eigen naam auto’s met een Bertone carrosserie op de markt bracht.
Hij verkocht in de periode 1953 tot 1968 auto’s op basis van verschillende Engelse modellen. Hij liet de auto’s ontwerpen en bouwen door Bertone in Italië. De auto’s waren vooral bestemd voor de Amerikaanse markt.
SH Arnolt Inc. of Chicago and Warsaw Indiana sold four different manufacturer’s cars with Bertone bodies during the period 1953 to 1968.
Stanley H. “Wacky” Arnolt was a Chicago industrialist, who began importing foreign cars in the 1950s to the United States. Though sold as American cars, the cars were true hybrids, with British mechanicals, Italian bodywork, and U.S. sales and distribution, as well as in some cases final assembly and body work. SH Arnolt Inc. was a licensed automobile manufacturer in the State of Illinois.
A fortuitous meeting with Bertone at the Turin Auto Show in 1952 resulted in four collaborative efforts between Arnolt and Bertone.
Arnolt-MG
1955 Arnolt-MG
1955 Arnolt-MG
The first was the Arnolt-MG, a four-seater Bertone-bodied car based on the MG TD chassis and XPAG 54hp engine. The Arnolt MG was designed by Giovanni Bertone, his son Nuccio, and Giovanni Michelotti. Of a planned production of 200 cars, 103 have been documented as built between 1953 and 1954 (67 coupes and 36 convertibles). Out of this total, the whereabouts of 36 are unknown and three are known to have been scrapped (as of 1993).
The initial price was $3145. In 1954, MG informed Arnolt that it could no longer supply chassis and engines due to demand for its own complete cars (as well as the replacement of the TD by the TF), so Arnolt began looking for a larger-engined car.
Arnolt Aston
An attempt to build a Bertone-bodied Aston Martin DB2/4 and sell it as an Arnolt Aston was stopped by Aston Martin after three cars were built. There were three Arnolt Astons designed by Bertone’s fresh new designer – Franco Scaglione (chassis numbers LML50/502, LML 50/505 and LML 50/507). All looked very much like Scaglione’s subsequent Arnolt Bristol, having sharply creased fender lines, and were open cars without hardtops. There were four additional Bertone Astons that were commissioned at Arnolt’s request and went through Arnolt’s hands. These four cars are sometimes mistakenly referred to as Arnolt Astons, but are not. These were 3 roadsters and 1 coupe. All of the seven Arnolt Astons still exist. One article refers to a possible eighth car, perhaps destroyed in the Chicago fire at Arnolt’s factory. The cars were fitted with Aston’s 125 hp, 2580 cc engine.
I owned LML 762, the last Arnolt Aston Martin manufactured, for 14 years, 1974 – 1988. Contrary to what is written above it was a TRUE Arnolt Aston Martin. In fact, it was the ONLY car of the 7 or 8 that had an Arnolt Aston Martin Badge. Any of the other cars that had a badge was identified only as an Arnolt. The Arnolt Aston Martin badge has since been copied and can be found on LML 504. The cars were not manufactured in chassis sequence number. The FIRST car built was LML 504, NOT any of the Arnolt-Bristol lookalikes, 502, 505 or 507. The Aston Martin Owner’s registry showed that 8 chassis were delivered to Bertone. It was my article that suggested that 8 cars in total were manufactured; this was confirmed by employees at Arnolt’s factory in Warsaw Indiana. Finally, while 502, 505 and 507 were originally fitted with the 2.5 liter engine, all were converted to the more powerful 3 liter engine before being sold. I personally inspected three of the other cars, LML 504, 506 and 765, and had extensive correspondence with the owner of 505.
Arnolt’s Bentley
Arnolt Bentley
Arnolt also had Bertone design and build a Bentley, which resembles a larger version of the Arnolt MG coupe because it was also penned by Giovanni Michelotti who was working for Bertone at the time. This car was commissioned for SH Arnolt as a personal car. Bertone built the body on a 1953 R Type Continental chassis. The car was fitted with monogrammed flasks and glasses, and a special cosmetics compartment for Mrs. Arnolt. The car was originally painted gold and fitted with tan hides.
Arnolt Bristol
1954 Arnolt-Bristol
Arnolt then negotiated with Bristol Cars Ltd in the UK for the purchase of 200 of their 404 series chassis and 1971 cc, six-cylinder 130 hp engines. According to an article by Wouter Melissen Arnolt needed to find a new chassis source to meet his obligation to Bertone, in whom he had invested heavily, after MG proved unable to fill the original order for 200 cars. The chassis Bristol supplied were sent to Carrozzeria Bertone where they received a highly aerodynamic body with a flowing design that allowed the minimal hood height to clear the cars’ three single barrel Solex 32 carburetors. The bodies were designed by Bertone’s new designer/aerodynamicist, Franco Scaglione (soon to be famous as the designer of the
Alfa Romeo B.A.T. concept cars). The very tall Bristol engine created problems for designing a sleek-looking sports car. Franco Scaglione handled these with particular genius – first by incorporating a hood scoop to lower the surrounding sheet metal, and then by incorporating sharply creased fender lines out over the wheels to draw the eye’s attention away from the unusually tall peak in the hood. A few design changes were requested by SH Arnolt.
Arnolt created a racing team for the Sebring 12-hour race, and in 1955, at their first attempt, the special lightweight cars finished first, second and fourth in the Sports 2000 class. The following year they took second and third in class. In 1957 the team withdrew after Bob Goldich’s fatal accident on the first lap of his first stint in the car co-driven by Wacky Arnolt, while a privately entered Arnolt Bristol finished fifth in class. 1960 brought a final class win, the team placing 14th, 22d and 39th overall.
Arnolt Bristol deluxe, gesehen bei der Technoclassica in Essen 2005. Der 1958 in Stahlblech-Leichtbauweise auf einem Bristol 404-Chassis gebaute Roadster ist von Bertone entworfen. 6 Zylinder, 3 Vergaser, 1971 cm³ Hubraum, 4 Gänge. Von den 142 gebauten Fahrzeugen sollen noch ~ 60 existieren, dieses wurde für 115.000 angeboten
Arnolt Bristol deluxe (1958)
The cars were available in four body styles: competition—a stripped road racer; bolide—a slightly better-appointed road racer; deluxe—a better-appointed version of the bolide (side windows and convertible top, instruments mounted in a housing in front of the driver, glove box set in the dash); and coupé, with pop-up headlights. At least one open car was subsequently fitted with a removable hardtop by S.H. Arnolt. Prices as per a 1956 factory letter were $3995 for the competition model, $4245 for the bolide, $4995 for the deluxe and $5995 for the coupe.
Factory options for the Arnolt Bristols included a front sway bar, remote shifter, 11-inch Alfin drum brakes, convertible top, bumpers, Borrani KO steel wheels (nine sets were sold, and one car was sold with Borrani wire wheels) and several different rear end gear ratios. A special racing fuel tank was installed in some of the race cars but was never offered for sale to the public. Late in 1959 and 60, the 12-inch bell-shaped Bristol drum setup was offered, and in 1961 Bristol front disc brakes were offered to retro fit to the Arnolt Bristol. The majority of the cars had steel bodies, with aluminum trunk and hood.
The cars came with an owner’s manual, spares manual and shop workbook, as well as a spare wheel and tire and complete tool kit. Additional items such as Arnolt key fobs, neck ties, ice buckets and Arnolt logo head scarves were available from the company. A wide variety of promotional literature, including brochures and postcards, was also produced.
All of the cars were originally sold with Bristol BS1 MkII six-cylinder engines; some have subsequently been fitted with other engines.
All Arnolt Bristols were built between January 14, 1953 and December 12, 1959. The majority were built in 1954 and 1959. A total of 142 cars were produced, of which 12 were written off after a factory fire. The fire-damaged cars were used as a source of spares by Arnolt in later years. The total production included six coupes, and two aluminum alloy-bodied cars. One of the cars was originally right hand drive: the rest were all left hand drive. One of the cars never received a body, and was used as a rolling chassis for auto shows. This chassis is still in the possession of the Arnolt family.
Approximately 85 of the cars are still known to be extant, in conditions that vary from needing complete restoration to concours quality.
Despite the racing successes, the cars did not sell well.
Some of the cars did not sell until after 1960, and the last car to be sold, fitted with four headlights, remained unsold until 1968.
Common Misconceptions
A number of published sources have contained errors on the production numbers of the Arnolt Bristol. In part, this may be because some authors production or sales figures have been compared to existing copies of the SH Arnolt sales ledger. It is important to note that this ledger only records sales of the cars in the United States. As a result, European sales were not included. One result is that several sources claim only three coupes were built, when there were in fact six: one was sold in France and the other two in Spain (the chassis numbers of all of which are recorded in the Bristol Owner’s Club registry.) At the Paris Auto Show in 1955, an up-and-coming actor, Lee Marvin, saw the Arnolt Bristol coupe and purchased it. In later years, Marvin would win the Oscar for Best Actor, and after his death, his ultra-rare Arnolt Bristol Coupe (the only Arnolt ever built with the coved front fenders that would inspire the Corvette designers) sold at auction for $451,000.
A second misconception is that the cars were originally fitted with any engines other than the Bristol six-cylinder. All Arnolt Bristols were originally sold with the Bristol engine, and SH Arnolt did not fit any of the 283 Corvette engines some sources claim were sold by the factory. In later years, because of the spacious engine compartment, a variety of engines have been fitted to individual cars, including Chevrolet 283, 351 and 454 engines, and the Pontiac 389.
A third misconception is that SH Arnolt built the cars. The Arnolt Bristol was built in Filton as a powered chassis; the body was fitted by Bertone in Italy, and only final assembly, fitting of options, prep work and (occasionally) paint and upholstery changes were done in Warsaw, Indiana.
The delightfully styled “Atlas” was one of a large number of vehicles that were produced in France after World War II. Marketed in France only, these cars were outside of mainstream European car production.
The car was introduced as the “Coccinelle” (Ladybird) at the “Paris Salon” in 1949. Afterwards called “Atlas Babycar”, it was the product of the Societe Industrielle de Livry, with bodywork by Duriez in Paris. The same company also produced the Kover (a cheaper small roadster) and the stark Le Piaf (closely resembling the Biscooter), all of them using the same chassis.
The pretty roadster body underwent several changes, such as windshield shape, grille casting, headlamp height, and the addition of doors. The chassis was complex and well engineered, with independent suspension all around. The four-speed gearbox fed into a separate secondary box, which included reverse, driving the left rear wheel.
The prototype was built in 1949, with the well-known 170cc AMC motor, making 8.5 horsepower. An Ilo 250cc engine and an electric starter were considered for its primarily female customers.
This is one of the only two examples known to exist.
Not to be confused with the Ansaldi car manufactured in Milan in 1904, and which was sold as the Fiat Brevetti after 1905.
1924 Ansaldo
The Ansaldo was an Italian automobile manufactured by the armaments concern Gio. Ansaldo & C. from 1921 to 1931. The company entered car manufacture with an OHC 1,847 cc (112.7 cu in) inline-four engine model which could develop 36 bhp (27 kW) at 3600 rpm. A sports version with 1,981 cc (120.9 cu in) engine was offered, as was a six-cylinder version of 1991 cc; later six-cylinders were offered with engines of 2179 cc.
Among the company’s last cars was an OHVstraight-8 of 3,532 cc (215.5 cu in). Ansaldos were generally of good quality and modern design, and competed in many races. When Wikov began manufacture in Czechoslovakia in 1928, they built the 1,453 cc (88.7 cu in) Ansaldo Tipo 10.
1922 Ansaldo 4B
1922 Ansaldo-mwb
1923 Ansaldo 6AN Dual-Cowl Torpedo Tourer
1923-Ansaldo-4CS
1924 Ansaldo 4-CS
1924 ansali Ferrari F.I.A.T. (in main directory) Isotta-Fraschini
SAMIL Trucks (South African MILitary) are the standard logistical transport vehicles of the South African National Defence Force, re-manufactured by Truck-Makers in Rosslyn, Pretoria, Drakensberg Truck Manufacturers in Wallmannsthal, N1 Trucks in Wallmansthal and Transvaal Motors in Boksburg. The civilian versions of these trucks are called SAMAG (South African MAGirus). Production of these vehicles ended in 1998.
These trucks all have a high strength chassis, making them capable of handling severe off-road conditions and thus an ideal vehicle for the South African Army.
In recent years, reconditioned and re-manufactured ex-military SAMIL trucks have also been made available to the private sector and vehicles have been sold to mining groups, exploration companies, contractors, farmers and many other organisations in fields such as tourism and forestry.
The SAMIL 20 is an upgraded Magirus Deutz 130M7FAL 4×4 2-ton (load) truck.
The initial SAMIL 20 Mark I model was air-cooled, but the later SAMIL 20 Mark II was fitted with a lighter South African-manufactured water-cooled Atlantis Diesel Engines (ADE) motor because of sanctions-era restrictions imposed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 418. It also had a lighter fuel tank and a modified transmission.
The Bulldog and RhinoBuffel variants are based on the SAMIL 20.
The SAMIL 50 is an upgraded Magirus Deutz 192D12AL 4×4 5-ton (load) truck. Classified as a medium truck, it has a canvas cover over a steel framework around the cargo area; seats for up to 40 passengers may be installed along the sides or down the center, back to back. Variants include a communications vehicle, battery-charging vehicle, welding shop, tanker, field kitchen, mobile personnel shower and container transporter.
As with the SAMIL 20, the initial SAMIL 50 Mark I model was air-cooled, but the later SAMIL 50 Mark II was fitted with a lighter water-cooled ADE motor, a lighter fuel tank and a modified transmission. The Mark II has the same range of variants as the Mark I.
Spyker or Spijker was a Dutch car manufacturer, started in 1880 by coachbuilders Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker, but to be able to market the brand better in foreign countries, in 1903 the ‘ij‘ was changed into ‘y’. They were originally based in Hilversum but in 1898 moved to Trompenburg, Amsterdam.
In 1899 they started building automobiles and in 1900 put their first models on display, two-cylinder 3 hp and 5 hp similar to the Benz. Four-cylinder models were introduced in 1903, along with the six-cylinder Spyker 60 HP, a racer with the world’s first ever four-wheel drive car with a single engine and four-wheel brakes. An engine with six cylinders was also a world’s first.
The 1905 cars featured a round radiator grille which became a feature of many of the pre war cars. In 1913 the company was having financial problems again and in 1915 was taken over by new owners and renamed Nederlandsche Automobiel en Vliegtuigfabriek Trompenburg (Dutch Car and Aircraft company). Under the new owners, the previous complex model range was simplified and a new car, the 13/30 C1, introduced; sales were disappointing. In 1907, an 18 hp model successfully competed in the Peking to Paris race.
Hendrik-Jan Spijker died in 1907 when the ferry he was on when returning from England sank, and this loss led to the bankruptcy of the original company. A group of investors bought the company and restarted production, but Jacobus Spijker was no longer involved.
Before Hendrik-Jan Spijker’s death, he and his brother had developed a special relationship with Dutch electrical pioneer Rento Hofstede Crull. The Spijker brothers had known Hofstede Crull already when he was a young man racing on the velocipede circuits in the Netherlands and in Germany while he was an engineering student first in Mittweida and later in Hannover at the Technische Hochschule in the 1880s. Hofstede Crull had already owned his first automobile in the 1890s. In the first decade, he had accumulated a collection of automobiles which included a number of the Spijker racing models. He housed the collection in one of the wings of the NV Heemaf, one of the companies he had founded. Although this was all a hobby for him initially, he began assembling Spijkers at Heemaf with the approval of the Spijker brothers and subsequently with that of those who had taken over SPIJKER. He provided them with improvements on the automobiles. Heemaf’s board of directors complained that Hofstede Crull was using a part of the factory as his personal garage and auto park. To circumvent the criticism, he established the Spijker Automobiel Verhuur Maatschappij which along with Amsterdam’s Trompenburg Bedrijf became the first auto rental companies in the Netherlands. One of his other companies was the American Refined Motor Company which helped improve mechanical motor parts. This all stemmed from an automobile accident that he, Hofstede Crull, and his chauffeur, a man named Poorthuis, had in 1909 when he subsequently discovered a defect in the Spijker’s steering mechanism which he improved.
During World War I, in which the Netherlands were neutral, they manufactured aeroplanes and aircraft engines.
In 1922 the company went bankrupt again and was acquired by Spyker’s distributor in Britain who renamed the company Spyker Automobielfabriek. Production continued and prices dropped but the company continued to decline. Final production was of the C2 two-ton truck and the C4 car which lasted until 1926 when funds finally ran out.
It is estimated total Spyker car production was at most 2000 cars.
In 1999, a new company, Spyker Cars was founded, unrelated to the original company but for the brand name.
Car models
Spyker 60 HP (1903)
Spyker 60 HP (1903)
Spyker C2 truck/Bus
The 1905 Spyker 12/16-HP Double Phæton that was used as Ambrose Claverhouse’s car in the film Genevieve. As of 2012 this car is held in the Louwman Museum in the Netherlands. A still from the film can be seen in the background
Vehicle
Year
Details
Spijker 3 hp
1900–1902
2-cylinder
Spijker 5 hp
1900-1900
Spijker 5 hp
1900-1900
boxer engine
Spijker 6 hp
1902-1902
water-cooled engine.
Spijker 10/12
1903-1903
2-cylinder
Spyker 20/24
1903–1904
4-cylinder
Spijker 36/50
1903-1903
6-cylinder 5,073 cc (309.6 cu in)
Spyker 60/80
1903–1907
6-cylinder 8,821 cc (538.3 cu in)
Spyker 16/20
1903–1907
4-cylinder
Spyker 30/36
1903–1907
Spyker 14/18
1904–1907
4-cylinder 2,544 cc (155.2 cu in)
Spyker 20/28
1904–1907
4-cylinder
Spyker 25/36
1904–1905
4-cylinder 7,964 cc (486.0 cu in). Fourwheel drive option.
Spyker 32/40
1904–1905
4-cylinder. Fourwheel drive option.
Spyker 15/22
1905–1907
4-cylinder 3,456 cc (210.9 cu in).
Spyker 10/15
1907-1907
4-cylinder.
Spyker 15/22
1907-1907
4-cylinder 2,799 cc (170.8 cu in).
Spyker 20/30
1907-1907
4-cylinder 4,562 cc (278.4 cu in).
Spyker 30/42
1907-1907
4-cylinder 6,902 cc (421.2 cu in).
Spyker 40/80
1907-1907
4-cylinder 10,603 cc (647.0 cu in).
Spyker 15/22
1907–1910
4-cylinder 2,799 cc (170.8 cu in).
Spyker 60/80
1909-1909
4-cylinder.
Spyker 10/15
1910–1912
4-cylinder. Delivery van.
Spyker 15/25
1910–1912
4-cylinder. Delivery van.
Spyker 12
1910–1914
4-cylinder.
Spyker 16
1910–1912
4-cylinder.
Spyker 18
1910–1912
4-cylinder.
Spyker 25
1910–1912
4-cylinder. 4,589 cc (280.0 cu in).
Spyker 25/30
1911–1912
6-cylinder.
Spyker 20
1912–1916
4-cylinder. 3,435 cc (209.6 cu in).
Spyker 30
1912–1916
4-cylinder. 6,082 cc (371.1 cu in).
Spyker 40
1912–1916
6-cylinder. 7,238 cc (441.7 cu in).
Spyker 14
1913–1916
4-cylinder.
Spyker 12
1914–1916
4-cylinder. 1,795 cc (109.5 cu in).
Spyker 13/30 C1
1916–1921
4-cylinder. 3,560 cc (217 cu in).
Spyker 14/34 C1
1920–1921
4-cylinder. 3,562 cc (217.4 cu in).
Spyker C2
1916–1926
4-cylinder. 4,607 cc (281.1 cu in). Two ton truck.
Spyker 30/40 C4
1920–1926
6-cylinder Maybach engine. 5,742 cc (350.4 cu in).
Spyker filed a voluntary petition on December 2, 2014 for financial restructuring in an effort to address certain short-term operational and liquidity challenges. The company stated that the District Court of Midden-Nederland in Lelystad, the Netherlands (the “Court”) granted Spyker’s voluntary petition for temporary moratorium of payment (“surseance van betaling”), the Dutch equivalent of the American Chapter 11 proceedings, and has appointed an administrator who, together with the Board of Management, bears final responsibility for management of the company as long as the moratorium of payment status is in force. The Court’s ruling to grant a temporary moratorium of payment protects the Company from its creditors throughout the duration of the moratorium. The Company’s wholly owned subsidiary Spyker Events & Branding B.V. entered temporary moratorium of payment a month ago.
Spyker Cars (/ˈspaɪkər/, Dutch pronunciation: [ˈspɛi̯kər]) is a Dutchsports car marque. The modern Spyker Cars holds the legal rights to the brand name. The company’s motto is “Nulla tenaci invia est via“, which is Latin for “For the tenacious, no road is impassable”.[2] The marque’s logo displays the rotary engine of an airplane, a reference to the historic Spyker company which manufactured aircraft. In an attempt to save Spyker from bankruptcy, Swedish Automobile in September 2011, announced the immediate sale of Spyker to Americanprivate equity and hedge fundNorth Street Capital for €32 million (US$41 million). On December 18, 2014, Spyker confirmed that it deliberately had gone bankrupt, hoping to restructure its finances and getting back on its feet. However, the bankruptcy declaration was reverted early 2015 and the company announced to continue with the production of sports cars.
History
The earlier Spyker Silvestris V8
The reborn company was founded by Victor Muller and Maarten de Bruijn in 1999, and since 2000, Spyker has been building exclusive sports cars like the C8 Spyder and the C8 Laviolette (with its elegant glass roof). Spyker’s history of producing aero engines is reflected in details in these new cars as well as in the logo. Before building the C8, de Bruijn had been building small numbers of the Spyker Silvestris, which in many ways foreshadows Spyker’s later cars.
The C8 Laviolette and C8 Spyder have a 4172 cc Audi V8 engine delivering 400 bhp (298 kW; 406 PS), acceleration 0–60 mph in 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 300 km/h (190 mph). On July 14, 2005, it was announced that the C8 was approved for sale on the United States market.
Between 2002 and 2006, Spyker built the C8 Double 12 S, which was available from the factory with 5 different levels of performance called Stage I (400 h.p.) through Stage V (620 h.p.), depending on the customer’s need for performance.
Between 2003 and 2007, Spyker built the C8 Spyder T, with the Twin turbo being developed in conjunction with Cosworth from England. These engines were capable of 525 h.p. and acceleration times of 4.0 seconds.
In 2006, Spyker built the C12 La Turbie with an V12 engine capable of 500 horsepower and acceleration from 0–60 mph in less than 4 seconds.
In September 2006, Spyker bought out the Midland F1 team. The team competed in the final 3 races of the 2006 season as Spyker MF1. In the 2007, the team competed as Spyker F1 using engines supplied by Ferrari. Driver Adrian Sutil was paired with Christijan Albers until the European Grand Prix where the latter was replaced by reserve driver Markus Winkelhock; the team then signed Sakon Yamamoto to fill in the slot for the rest of the year. The team itself had minimal success, suffering from multiple retirements (including double retirements in Malaysia, Canada and Brazil) before Sutil scored the team’s first and only point in Japan. At the end of the season, the team was sold to a consortium named “Orange India” led by Vijay Mallya and was subsequently renamed as Force India.
On May 27, 2004, Spyker Cars listed on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange at €15.50, falling to a low of €8.28 in April 2005. The stock rebounded sharply in early 2006 to over €22 per share. Early in 2007 the stock showed a sharp decline to levels beneath €13 because of financing issues. As a result, several stock issues were announced to big investors. Notably, all shares have been sold at higher prices than the market price at the moment of announcement. On November 13, 2005, Spyker Cars and Mubadala Development Company, a principal investment company wholly owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates, announced their strategic alliance, with Mubadala acquiring 17% of Spyker. Mubadala has a strong relationship with sports cars, also controlling 5% of Ferrari.
In 2007, Spyker, in collaboration with the Italian car-design firm Zagato, produced the C12 Zagato, based on the C12 La Turbie, but with more appealing body work, faster speeds, and the Zagato trademark roof bubbles. This is perhaps the more exclusive Spyker car to date.
In November 2009, Spyker announced that it would be moving production from Zeewolde to Whitley, Coventry, where assembly would be done in partnership with CPP Manufacturing. UK production began in February 2010. Due to the bankruptcy of SAAB and a falling out with business partners, the production was not moved to the UK. Spyker cars attempts, since 2012, to restart production in the Netherlands.
Ownership of Saab Automobile
On 26 January 2010, General Motors (GM) confirmed that Spyker and GM had come to an agreement allowing Spyker to purchase Saab Automobile, subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was completed on February 23, 2010. General Motors will continue to supply Saab with engines, transmissions and also completed vehicles in the shape of the new Saab 9-4x from GM’s Mexican factory. The deal includes a loan from the European Investment Bank, guaranteed by the Swedish government. It comprises US$74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of US$320m.
On February 23, 2010, Spyker Cars closed the deal to buy Saab Automobile from General Motors. Spyker and Saab operate under the parent company Swedish Automobile, named Spyker Cars N.V.
Saab Automobile quickly ran out of money and Spyker was unable to fund the losses. The companies stopped paying their bills early 2011. On March 30, 2011, production was halted at Saab Automobile, because suppliers refused to deliver without payment.
Spyker CEO Victor Muller made several attempts at acquiring funding. A joint venture with Chinese company Hawtai was announced on May 3, 2011, only to fall apart a week later. Shortly afterwards joint ventures with Chinese car maker Youngman, and Chinese car-dealership chain Pang Da were announced. Negotiations ended with Spyker attempting to sell all of the shares in Saab Automobile to the Chinese companies on October 28, 2011, for 100 million euros. This transaction did not have the approval of former Saab-owner General Motors, who refused to supply technological licenses to Youngman and Pang Da. The proposed deal fell apart. Spyker CEO Victor Muller applied for the bankruptcy of Saab Automobile on December 19, 2011.
On 16 April 2012, a meeting on Saab’s bankruptcy was held at the District Court of Vänersborg. The official receivers in charge of the Saab liquidation valued the assets at US$500m and the debt at US$2,000m. After subtracting the value of the assets, Saab leaves a debt of US$1,500m.
Proposed sales and eventual sale of Saab
In February 2011, it was announced that Swedish Automobile, the Dutch owner of Saab Automobile, agreed to sell its sports-car unit to Vladimir Antonov. Antonov, a former Spyker chairman and shareholder, was expected to pay 15 million euros (US$21 million) for the company. However, in March 2011, the deal fell through, with Spyker’s manufacturing partner CPP Manufacturing placing a bid, but this deal fell through later that month.
In September 2011, it was announced that Swedish Automobile would sell Spyker Cars, in an all-cash offer to an American private equity and hedge fundNorth Street Capital, for €32 million (US$41 million). In January 2012, Swedish Automobile again offered Spyker cars up for sale, but this sale did not actually occur.
Saab was eventually sold in June 2012 to a Chinese-Swedish investment group called National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS).
In August 2012, Spyker announced that Youngman Ltd. acquired a 29.9% stake in its parent company Spyker N.V. for €10 million (US$12.5 million).
Spyker after Saab
In March 2013, the B6 Venator was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, the B6 Venator was noted as Spyker’s first concept car in nearly four years.
On September 16, 2013, Spyker Cars’ parent Spyker N.V. lost its listing on Euronext Amsterdam after failing to undergo a restructuring agreement.
On November 5, 2014, the Dutch Court “Midden Nederland” ordered Spyker to leave, within seven days, the factory they rented and to pay 152.000 euro in overdue rent. The claim was made by Jacques Walch, the owner of the factory rented by Spyker. Despite this, CEO Victor Muller insisted the company would be able to pay its bills “in a matter of days.”
On 2 December 2014 Spyker NV was granted a moratorium of payment (financial restructuring) by the Dutch court “Midden Nederland”. Spyker needed protection from creditors for its liquidity problems. Victor R. Muller, Spyker founder and chief executive, said “Over the past few years, Spyker has faced a number of serious difficulties and challenges resulting from, among others, the legacy of the F1 era and the acquisition of Saab Automobile AB,”.
On 18 December 2014 Spyker NV was declared bankrupt by the Dutch court “Midden Nederland”. Victor R. Muller, Spyker’s founder and chief executive, said “In 2000 our objective was to found a global sports car manufacturer, and we did just that. During this time we deployed several challenging activities. These have affected the company, and contributed to our decline,”. Spyker appealed the bankruptcy declaration, and on 29 January 2015, the court reversed the declaration. This meant that Spyker NV was protected from creditors, while solving its financial difficulties. This allowed Muller to pursue plans to merge Spyker with an unnamed “US based manufacturer of high performance electric aircraft.” This proposed merger partner was eventually discovered to be a company called Volta Volare. On May 13 of that year, Spyker NV closed a deal with the creditors. Spyker owed 44 million euro and agreed to pay 12.000 euro per creditor. The curator of Saab GB was the largest creditor; it claimed 24,9 million euro. Saab GB agreed to receive a payment of 61.000 euro. A following attempt by the Latvian bank Lizings to claim more money, was declined by the court.
On July 29, 2015, Spyker exited moratorium of payment (restructuring), and resumed business operations.
Spyker had two production-ready cars (as of the 2013 model year):
Spyker C8
The C8 Spyder was the original base model with an Audi 4.2 litre V8 engine. Since the start of its production in 2000, twelve different variants have been sold. Most recently, a long wheelbase version was presented at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, called the C8 Aileron. A year later, a convertible version was presented.
But the mass-production, which was slated for a mid-2008 production, was delayed and the V12 engine from the concept car has been changed to an Volkswagen W12 engine at around 500 bhp (373 kW; 507 PS). Its name was then changed to the D8.
Spyker hoped that the assistance of Saab, which they now own, would help the D8 reach production. According to Muller in April 2011, the D8 should have started production in early 2013, with a price tag of £186,000.However, in March 2013, production was secluded for 2016, with a production prototype due by 2014.
Spyker C12
Spyker’s older model, the C12 is a luxury sports car, and has two variants:
Spyker shareholders and CEO, Victor Muller hinted at a Maserati Quattroporte, Porsche Panamera rival with an eight-cylinder (the E8) or a twelve-cylinder (the E12) engine but due to problems getting the D8 into production, the idea was ignored until 2009 when Muller has said he “believes now could be the time to resurrect the saloon.” Muller believes it will take about four years from the time that the E8/E12 is revealed to actual production.
Sales
Spyker’s all-time high was achieved in 2006, with 94 cars sold, about 290 cars were sold between 2000-2010.
Voluntary financial restructuring of the company
Spyker filed a voluntary petition on December 2, 2014 for financial restructuring in an effort to address certain short-term operational and liquidity challenges. The company stated that the District Court of Midden-Nederland in Lelystad, the Netherlands (the “Court”) granted Spyker’s voluntary petition for temporary moratorium of payment (“surseance van betaling”), the Dutch equivalent of the American Chapter 11 proceedings, and has appointed an administrator who, together with the Board of Management, bears final responsibility for management of the company as long as the moratorium of payment status is in force. The Court’s ruling to grant a temporary moratorium of payment protects the Company from its creditors throughout the duration of the moratorium. The Company’s wholly owned subsidiary Spyker Events & Branding B.V. entered temporary moratorium of payment a month ago.
Calendar Year
Total Sales
2000
1
2001
2
2002
3
2003
12
2004
31
2005
48
2006
94
2007
26
2008
43
2009
36
2010
“Pending”
2011
12
2012
2
2013
0
2014
0
Results
Spyker lost substantially since 2007. This table summarizes the key figures of Spyker Cars from 2007 to 2012. The figures originate from the Spyker Annual Report 2011 and 2012.
Victor Muller(bestuursvoorzitter)
Hans Hugenholtz jr (oud- bestuursvoorzitter) Michiel Mol (oud-bestuursvoorzitter)
mr. R. van de Laar (Spyker Squadron Director)
Spyker Cars is een Nederlandse fabrikant van exclusieve sportwagens naar een ontwerp van ingenieur Maarten de Bruijn.
Het motto van de autofabrikant is “nulla tenaci invia est via” (vertaald uit het Latijn betekent het “voor volhouders is geen weg onbegaanbaar”). Dit motto, en de merknaam zijn afkomstig van Spyker Automobielen N.V., een Nederlandse automobielfabriek die begin 20e eeuw internationaal doorbrak, maar in 1926 werd opgeheven, zie Spyker.
Spyker maakte op 26 januari 2010 bekend het veel grotere Saab Automobile over te nemen van General Motors. Saab en Spyker werden ondergebracht bij moederbedrijf Swedish Automobile N.V.. Het Zweedse avontuur was van korte duur; in december 2011 werd Saab failliet verklaard. In april 2012 besloten de aandeelhouders weer verder te gaan onder de naam Spyker N.V. en zich weer volledig te richten op de productie van sportwagens. Hierna volgden een aantal jaren waarin geregeld berichten waren over betalingsachterstanden van Spyker. Eind 2014 werd Spyker failliet verklaard, maar begin 2015 werd dit faillissement terug gedraaid.
Geschiedenis
De merknaam Spyker werd in 1999 geregistreerd door de Nederlandse zakenman Victor Muller. Het kwam voort uit de samenwerking tussen Muller en Maarten de Bruijn, die een prototype sportwagen bouwde.
Het bedrijf, aanvankelijk gevestigd in een schuur bij de ouderlijke woning van De Bruijn waar De Bruijn sinds 1990 aan een prototype Silvestris werkte, kon met steun van Muller een fabriek in Zeewolde laten bouwen. Om te kijken of het ontwerp goed was hanteerde De Bruijn de “S.J.K.F.”; de School-Jeugd-Kijk-Factor.
Maarten de Bruijn, medeoprichter en creatief brein achter Spyker Cars, stapte in 2005 uit het bedrijf door een “verschil in inzicht” met medeoprichter Victor Muller. Hieraan lag onder andere ten grondslag dat De Bruijn met Spyker uitsluitend sportwagens wilde bouwen. Muller was echter ook geïnteresseerd in de productie van luxe terreinwagens, waarvan de Spyker D8 Peking to Paris het resultaat is.
De Bruijn richtte met het geld dat hij verdiende met Spyker Cars (ongeveer €2 miljoen) een nieuw bedrijf op – Silvestris – dat zich richt op de productie van luxe speedboten, in dezelfde stijl als de door hem zelf ontworpen sportwagens.
2007-2008
In 2007 kwam Spyker meermaals negatief in het nieuws. Zo zou het bedrijf uit Zeewolde zijn rekeningen niet betalen. De Telegraaf publiceerde een fax van carrosseriebouwer Karmann waaruit bleek dat een rekening van ongeveer een half miljoen euro open stond. Als gevolg van deze en andere negatieve berichten trad CEO Victor Muller af ten gunste van Michiel Mol. Muller bleef wel in dienst van Spyker.
Na een bericht in het Algemeen Dagblad van 28 augustus 2007, waarin werd gesteld dat schuldeisers het faillissement van Spyker Cars NV hadden aangevraagd, daalde het aandeel op Euronext met 12%. Noch bij de Maastrichtse rechtbank (waar de faillissementsaanvraag zou zijn ingediend), noch bij de verzekeraar van Spyker bleek echter iets bekend te zijn. Spyker verzocht vervolgens de Autoriteit Financiële Markten (AFM) een en ander te onderzoeken. De AFM draaide na onderzoek vervolgens de handel in het aandeel Spyker terug, en het Algemeen Dagblad rectificeerde haar berichtgeving via haar internetsite.
Echter, de negatieve berichtgeving hield aan. AFM verzocht Spyker de jaarrekening over 2006 te herzien, waarin 8 ton winst werd geboekt; volgens AFM had dat een verlies moeten zijn. Spyker kreeg op 28 december 2007 van de Ondernemingskamer gelijk. AFM ging in 2008 in beroep, maar ook de Hoge Raad oordeelde op 24 december 2008 dat Spyker op alle punten gelijk had. De procedure heeft Spyker €800.000 gekost en leverde andermaal negatieve publiciteit op. Hoewel beide overwinningen op AFM nauwelijks werden gepubliceerd, kreeg de AFM veel publiciteit met haar aanklacht.
Na de verkoop van het Spyker F1 Team trok Michiel Mol zich terug als bestuursvoorzitter en nam Victor Muller weer zijn oude plaats in als CEO.
2009
In maart 2009 onthulde Muller op de autosalon in Genève de nieuwe Spyker C8 Aileron. Hij deed daarbij de belofte: “De Aileron is voor Spyker de auto die het bedrijf naar een langverwachte winstgevendheid leidt.”
Op 20 november 2009 maakte Spyker bekend dat de productie in Zeewolde werd beëindigd. De assemblage zou voortaan gaan plaatsvinden in het Britse Coventry. Reden voor de verplaatsing was kostenbesparing. De fabrikant verwachtte met de ingreep miljoenen euro’s aan kosten te kunnen besparen. Deze maatregel betekende het ontslag van de 45 medewerkers in Zeewolde. Spyker bood echter de groep getroffen werknemers de kans om mee te verhuizen Engeland.
Overname van Saab Automobile
Na ruim twee weken van stilte werd onthuld dat Saab en Spyker nog steeds in onderhandeling waren. Deze gesprekken werden in Stockholm gevoerd. Op 25 januari gingen geruchten dat Spyker en GM een overeenkomst zouden hebben gesloten, nabeurs maakte de nieuwe topman van General Motors echter bekend dat er inderdaad onderhandelingen gaande waren, maar dat er nog geen contract was getekend. Het aandeel Spyker Cars op de Amsterdamse effectenbeurs schoot door de geruchten omhoog. Toen topman Victor Muller meldde dat de overname door Spyker Cars zo goed als rond was en er in de Zweedse media dergelijke geruchten rondgingen, werd op 26 januari door de AFM besloten om de handel in het aandeel stop te zetten. Op 26 januari 2010 om 19.45 uur meldde General Motors dat Saab Automobile zou worden overgenomen door Spyker Cars. GM stopte direct met de afbouw van de activiteiten van Saab. Spyker zou, volgens Bloomberg en The Wall Street Journal voor Saab een bedrag van $74 miljoen in cash en $326 miljoen aan preferente aandelen in het nieuwe Saab, Saab Spyker Automobiles, betalen aan GM. Dit werd echter nog niet officieel bevestigd. De overname moest volgens plan medio februari afgerond zijn.Vanaf 22 november 2009 was Spyker Cars in onderhandeling met General Motors over de overname van het Zweedse Saab Automobile. Op 15 december werd bekend dat Spyker de enige overgebleven overnamekandidaat was voor Saab.
2011: verkoop Spyker en faillissement Saab Automobile
Op 24 februari 2011 werd bekend dat Spyker Cars NV van plan was de sportwagendivisie Spyker te verkopen aan het Britse bedrijf CPP Global Holdings Limited, dat in handen is van Vladimir Antonov. De verkoop betrof een speciale financiële constructie voor maximaal €32 miljoen. De groep wilde zich nu meer gaan richten op het merk Saab, en als naam van het moederbedrijf werd gekozen voor Swedish Automobile NV.
Eind september 2011 meldde Swedish Automobile dat Spyker voor €32 miljoen zou worden overgenomen door de Amerikaanse investeringsmaatschappij North Street Capital. Muller zou aanblijven als CEO. Hiermee was de overname door CPP van Antonov van de baan, alhoewel de productie wel in de CPP-fabriek in Coventry plaatsvond. In 2009 werden nog 36 auto’s gefabriceerd maar in 2010 geen enkele.
Saab Automobile ging in december 2011 failliet. In april 2012 bleek dat Saab een schuld naliet van meer dan €1 miljard na aftrek van de waarde van de bezittingen.
2012: Claim van $3 miljard door Spyker
In augustus 2012 zei CEO Victor Muller van Spyker Cars dat zij een claim zullen neerleggen bij General Motors over het faillissement van Saab. Victor Muller zei: “Sinds wij in december 2011 werden gedwongen om het faillissement van Saab Automobile aan te vragen, hebben we continue gewerkt aan de voorbereiding van een rechtszaak waarin we compensatie eisen ten gevolge van de onrechtmatige acties door General Motors”.
2013: Aandeel Spyker van de beurs, Claim van $3 miljard afgewezen
Het aandeel was al sinds 13 september 2011 kandidaat voor verwijdering van de beurs, echter ondanks een ruime periode en twee verlengingen van de periode slaagde het bedrijf er niet in om te herstructureren. Op 13 september 2013 was de laatste dag dat het aandeel Spyker op de Amsterdamse beurs verhandeld werd.
In juni 2013 werd de claim van Spyker behandeld door een Amerikaanse federale rechter in Detroit. De rechter wees de claim van 3 miljard dollar door Spyker af. Volgens rechter Gershwin Drain: “General Motors had het contractuele recht om de voorgestelde transactie goed dan wel af te keuren,” en “De rechtbank verwerpt de eis,” en hij zei dat Spyker in de overeenkomst met General Motors, toen het Saab kocht, akkoord was gegaan met het feit dat General Motors de controle had over een verandering van eigendom.
2014: Claim van $3 miljard opnieuw afgewezen
Spyker Cars NV is in beroep gegaan tegen de uitspraak. Het hoger beroep werd behandeld door de “6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati”. Het hof concludeerde op 24 oktober 2014 dat General Motors niet opzettelijk de verkoop frusteerde van Saab aan Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. Rechter Eugene Siler zei dat de acties van General Motors niet kwaadaardig waren en dat het bedrijf “legitieme zakelijke zorgen” had betreffende de verkoop, zoals de overdracht van technologie. Siler zei ook dat de claim “cruciale fouten had”.
Op 2 december 2014 Spyker NV heeft uitstel van betaling gekregen van de rechtbank Midden Nederland. Spyker heeft bescherming nodig tegen zijn crediteuren omdat het een tekort heeft aan geldelijke middelen. Victor R. Muller sprak “Wij denken hier sterker uit te komen als een innovatiever bedrijf en zijn goed gepositioneerd om te kunnen groeien en winst te maken”, aldus Muller en “We zijn allemaal toegewijd om van deze financiële herstructurering een succes te maken.”
Op 18 december heeft de rechtbank van Lelystad officieel het faillissement uitgesproken over Spyker Automobielen B.V. en Spyker Events & Branding B.V.
2015: Doorstart van Spyker
Op 29 januari werd door de rechtbank in Leeuwarden het eerder uitgesproken faillissement in hoger beroep terug gedraaid. Spyker NV verkeerde op dat moment weer in de staat van surseance van betaling en een bewindvoerder trachtte vanaf toen om tot een overeenkomst te komen met de schuldeisers. Spyker NV gaf aan verder te gaan met de ontwikkeling van luxe sportwagens en elektrische auto’s. Op 13 mei van dat jaar werd er een overeenkomst gesloten tussen Spyker NV en de schuldeisers. Spyker had op dat moment een schuld van 44 miljoen en bood aan om per schuldeiser 12.000 euro af te betalen. De grootste schuldeiser was de curator van Saab GB; hij vorderde 24,9 miljoen euro en ging uiteindelijk akkoord met een uitkering van 61.000 euro. Een poging van de Letse bank Lizings om meer geld te claimen, draaide op niets uit.
Resultaten
Spyker heeft sinds 2007 zware verliezen geleden. De jaaromzet is al die jaren zeer bescheiden geweest en de bedrijfsresultaten altijd zwaar negatief. Het extreem grote verlies in 2010 was vooral het gevolg van de overname van Saab Automobile dat in 2011 failliet ging. Spyker was vervolgens niet langer verplicht het negatieve eigen vermogen van Saab te consolideren. Het uit de boekhouding vallen van dit bedrag leidde tot een boekwinst van €53 miljoen waardoor het jaar met een winst kon worden afgesloten. De grote winst in 2012 was vooral het gevolg van een conversie van schulden in aandelen. De omwisseling leidde tot een grote winst, het aantal uitstaande aandelen vertienvoudigde en het eigen vermogen kwam marginaal positief uit. In de onderstaande tabel staan de belangrijkste financiële gegevens van Spyker:
In december 2012 hebben de aandeelhouders van Spyker ingestemd met een omgekeerde aandelensplitsing, waarbij 100 aandelen met een nominale waarde van €0,04 samengevoegd worden tot één nieuw aandeel, waarna de nominale waarde wordt verlaagd tot €1,30 per aandeel. Na deze actie heeft Spyker 3,7 miljoen aandelen uitstaan.
In 2005 behaalde het race team van Spyker (Spyker Squadron) de eerste successen in de loodzware FIA GT en LMES endurance wedstrijden. Deze races werden jarenlang gedomineerd door de fabrieks-Porsches en –Ferrari’s. Onder leiding van Peter van Erp en Ronald van de Laar werden meerdere podiumplaatsen behaald.
Spyker F1 Team
Op 29 september 2007 gingen de aandeelhouders van Spyker – ironisch genoeg het weekend dat het F1-team haar enige WK-punt scoorde – akkoord met de verkoop van het F1-team voor €88 miljoen aan een combinatie van Strongwind (Michiel Mol) en Kingfisher/Watson Limited (Vijay Mallya) uit India. Dat was €6 miljoen meer dan het aanvankelijke overnamebedrag. Toch was er geen sprake van een boekwinst, omdat Spyker fors had geïnvesteerd en eveneens forse verliezen had geleden door de hoge operationele kosten. In totaal hebben deze activiteiten tot een verlies geleid van €35,7 miljoen in 2007. Op 5 oktober werd de verkoop afgerond. Ad-interim directeur Hans Hugenholtz noemt het “geen mooie transactie, maar het is de best mogelijke en eerlijke prijs”. Op 4 oktober 2008 kreeg Spyker een aanvullend bedrag van €2,6 miljoen van de derdenrekening van het Formule 1-team. Spyker heeft nog een claim lopen tegen Orange India Holding, de nieuwe eigenaar van het F1-team, en verwacht in 2009 nog €2 miljoen te kunnen ontvangen.Op 9 september 2006 werden de geruchten bevestigd dat Spyker de Formule 1 in zou gaan, door met een groep investeerders onder leiding van Michiel Mol het Midland-MF1 Racing team over te nemen. Tijdens de Grand Prix Formule 1 van Italië in 2006 werd bekendgemaakt dat het consortium daadwerkelijk MF1 Racing had overgenomen. De naam van het team veranderde in Spyker MF1. Spyker betaalde $106,6 miljoen verdeeld over drie termijnen: $68,6 miljoen voor 30 september 2006, de rest in twee jaarlijkse termijnen van respectievelijk $15 miljoen en $23 miljoen. Op 27 september 2006 gingen de aandeelhouders van Spyker akkoord met de uitgifte van 2.650.000 nieuwe aandelen, die werden geprijsd op €20 per stuk, een flinke premie ten opzichte van de beurskoers op dat moment. Michiel Mol kocht het merendeel van deze aandelen.
Marketing
Aanwezigheid in Hollywoodfilms is bij Spyker onderdeel van de marketingstrategie. Het komt er op neer dat Spyker auto’s levert voor films en dat Spyker daarna niets hoeft te betalen voor de vertoning in de film.
The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque (trade-name) is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann (1863–1951) of Nuremberg formed S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them under his own trade name in London. The trade name became “Triumph” the following year, and in 1887 Bettmann was joined by a partner, Moritz (Maurice) Schulte, also from Germany. In 1889 the businessmen started producing their own bicycles in Coventry, England.
1923 Triumph 10/20
History
Triumph Cycle Company
The company was renamed the Triumph Cycle Co. Ltd. in 1897. In 1902, they began producing Triumph motorcycles at their works in Coventry on Much Park Street. At first, these used engines purchased from another company, but the business prospered and they soon started making their own engines. In 1907, they purchased the premises of a spinning mill on Priory Street to develop a new factory. Major orders for the 550 cc Model H were made by the British Army during the First World War; by 1918, Triumph had become Britain’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles.
1931 Triumph Super 9, 4 Door Tourer
In 1921, Bettmann was persuaded by his general manager Claude Holbrook (1886–1979), who had joined the company in 1919, to acquire the assets and Clay Lane premises of the Dawson Car Company and start producing a car and 1.4-litre engine type named the Triumph 10/20 designed for them by Lea-Francis, to whom they paid a royalty for every car sold. Production of this car and its immediate successors was moderate, but this changed with the introduction in 1927 of the Triumph Super 7, which sold in large numbers until 1934.
Triumph Motor Company
1934 Triumph Gloria Six
1936 Triumph Gloria Southern Cross 10.8 HP (four, 1,232 cc)
1937 Triumph Dolomite Roadster
In 1930 the company’s name was changed to Triumph Motor Company. Holbrook realized he could not compete with the larger car companies for the mass market, so he decided to produce expensive cars, and introduced the models Southern Cross and Gloria. At first these used engines made by Triumph but designed by Coventry Climax, but in 1937 Triumph started to produce engines to their own designs by Donald Healey, who had become the company’s Experimental Manager in 1934.
The company encountered financial problems however, and in 1936 the Triumph bicycle and motorcycle businesses were sold, the latter to Jack Sangster of Ariel to become Triumph Engineering Co Ltd. Healey purchased an
Three of these cars were made in 1934, one of which was used in competition and destroyed in an accident. The Dolomites manufactured from 1937 to 1940 were unrelated to these prototypes.
In July 1939 the Triumph Motor Company went into receivership and the factory, equipment and goodwill were offered for sale. Thomas W. Ward Ltd. purchased the company and placed Healey in charge as general manager, but the effects of the Second World War again stopped the production of cars; the Holbrook Lane works were completely destroyed by bombing in 1940.
Standard Triumph
1946 Triumph 1800 Roadster
In November 1944 what was left of the Triumph Motor Company and the Triumph trade name were bought by the Standard Motor Company and a subsidiary “Triumph Motor Company (1945) Limited” was formed with production transferred to Standard’s factory at Canley, on the outskirts of Coventry. Triumph’s new owners had been supplying engines to Jaguar and its predecessor company since 1938. After an argument between Standard-Triumph Managing Director, Sir John Black, and William Lyons, the creator and owner of Jaguar, Black’s objective in acquiring the rights to the name and the remnants of the bankrupt Triumph business was to build a car to compete with the soon to be launched post-war Jaguars.
The pre-war Triumph models were not revived and in 1946 a new range of Triumphs was announced, starting with the
The Roadster had an aluminium body because steel was in short supply and surplus aluminium from aircraft production was plentiful. The same engine was used for the 1800 Town and Country saloon, later named the
which was notable for the styling chosen by Standard-Triumph’s managing director Sir John Black. A similar style was also used for the subsequent Triumph Mayflower light saloon. All three of these models prominently sported the “globe” badge that had been used on pre-war models. When Sir John was forced to retire from the company this range of cars was discontinued without being replaced directly, sheet aluminium having by now become a prohibitively expensive alternative to sheet steel for most auto-industry purposes.
1950 Triumph Mayflower
1955 Triumph TR2
In the early 1950s it was decided to use the Triumph name for sporting cars and the Standard name for saloons and in 1953 the Triumph TR2 was initiated, the first of the TR series of sports cars that would be produced until 1981. Curiously, the TR2 had a Standard badge on its front and the Triumph globe on its hubcaps.
Standard had been making a range of small saloons named the Standard Eight and Ten and had been working on a replacement for these. The success of the TR range meant that Triumph was considered as a more marketable name than Standard and the new car was introduced in 1959 as the Triumph Herald. The last Standard car to be made in the UK was replaced in 1963 by the Triumph 2000 .
Triumph set up an assembly facility in Speke, Liverpool in 1959 gradually increasing the size of the most modern factory of the company to the point that it could fully produce 100,000 cars per year. However, only a maximum of 30,000 cars was ever produced as the plant was never put to full production use, being used largely as an assembly plant. During the 1960s and ’70s Triumph sold a succession of Michelotti-styled saloons and sports cars, including the advanced
which, in 1973, already had a 16-valve four-cylinder engine. It is alleged that many Triumphs of this era were unreliable, especially the 2.5 PI (petrol injection) with its fuel injection problems. In Australia, the summer heat caused petrol in the electric fuel pump to vapourise, resulting in frequent malfunctions. Although the injection system had proven itself in international competition, it lacked altitude compensation to adjust the fuel mixture at altitudes greater than 3,000 feet (910 m) above sea level. The Lucas system proved unpopular: Lucas did not want to develop it further, and Standard-Triumph dealers were reluctant unwilling to attend the associated factory and field-based training courses.
Triumph 2.5 PI Mk 2 Saloon
For most of its time under Leyland or BL ownership the Triumph marque belonged in the Specialist Division of the company which went by the names of Rover Triumph and later Jaguar Rover Triumph, except for a brief period during the mid-1970s when all BL’s car marques or brands were grouped together under the name of Leyland Cars.
1973 Triumph Spitfire
The only all-new Triumph model initiated as Rover Triumph was the TR7, which had the misfortune to be in production successively at three factories that were closed: Speke, the poorly run Leyland-era Standard-Triumph works in Liverpool, the original Standard works at Canley, Coventry and finally the Rover works in Solihull. Plans for an extended range based on the TR7, including a fastback variant codenamed “Lynx”, were ended when the Speke factory closed. The four-cylinder TR7 and its short-lived eight-cylindered derivative the TR8 were terminated when the road car section of the Solihull plant was closed (the plant continues to build Land Rovers.)
Demise of Triumph cars
The last Triumph model was the Acclaim, introduced in 1981 and essentially a rebadged Honda Ballade built under licence from Japanese company Honda at the former Morris Motors works in Cowley, Oxford. The Triumph name disappeared in 1984, when the Acclaim was replaced by the Rover 200, a rebadged version of Honda’s next generation Civic/Ballade model. The BL car division was by then named Austin Rover Group which also ended the Morris marque as well as Triumph.
Current ownership
1974 Triumph GT6 Coupé
1976 Triumph TR6
The trademark is owned currently by BMW, which acquired Triumph when it bought the Rover Group in 1994. When it sold Rover, it kept the Triumph marque. The Phoenix Consortium, which bought Rover, tried to buy the Triumph brand, but BMW refused, saying that if Phoenix insisted, it would break the deal. The Standard marque was transferred to British Motor Heritage Limited. The Standard marque is still retained by British Motor Heritage who also have the licence to use the Triumph marque in relation to the sale of spares and service of the existing ‘park’ of Triumph cars.
The Triumph name has been retained by BMW along with Riley, and Mini. In late 2007, the magazine Auto Express, after continued rumours that Triumph be revived with BMW ownership, featured a story showing an image of what a new version of the TR4 might look like. BMW has not commented officially on this.
(1975–79) Rubber-bumpered Midgets used the 1493cc L-4 and gearbox borrowed from the Triumph Spitfire.
Badging
Globe
Pre-war Triumphs carried a stylised Globe badge, usually on the radiator grille, and this was also used on the first three models produced under Standard’s control.
Griffin
Standard had introduced a new badge in 1947 for their own models, first seen on the Vanguard, a highly stylised motif based on the wings of a Griffin. With the introduction of the TR2, a version of this badge appeared for the first time on the bonnet of a production Triumph, while the Globe continued to appear on the hubcaps. This same double-badging also appeared on the TR3 and TR4, the 2000 and the 1300.
However, the original Herald, Spitfire, Vitesse and GT6 models all carried only the Griffin badge on their bonnets/radiator grilles, with unadorned hubcaps.
The TR4A appeared with a Globe badge on the bonnet, apparently signifying a return to the original Triumph badging. This was short-lived, as a policy of Leylandisation mean that neither Globe nor Griffin appeared on subsequent models from the TR5 onwards, or on later versions of the Spitfire, GT6 and 2000.
Leyland
Leyland’s corporate badge, a design based on the spokes of a wheel, appeared on the hubcaps of the 1500FWD, and next to the Triumph name on the metal identification labels fitted to the bootlids of various models. It was also used for the oil filler cap on the Dolomite Sprint engine. However it was never used as a bonnet badge, with models of that era such as the TR6 and the second generation 2000 carrying a badge simply stating the name “Triumph”.
Stag
The Stag model carried a unique grille badge showing a highly stylised stag.
Laurel wreath
The last versions of the TR7 and Dolomite ranges received an all-new badge with the word Triumph surrounded by laurel wreaths, and this was also used for the Acclaim. It was carried on the bonnet and the steering wheel boss.
Jump up^Langworth, Richard M. (Second Quarter 1973). “Trundling Along With Triumph – The story thus far…”. Automobile Quarterly (Automobile Quarterly Inc.) 11 (2): 128–129. LCCN62-4005. Check date values in: |date= (help)
Jump up^Robson, Graham (1982). Triumph Spitfire and GT6. London: Osprey Publishing Ltd. p. 8. ISBN0-85045-452-2.
Jump up^“Goodbye Standard long live Triumph”. Motor: pp. 39–40. 15 May 1976.
Jump up^Long, Brian (2008). Daimler V8 S.P. 250 (2nd ed.). Veloce Publishing. p. 168. ISBN1-9047-8877-7. Clearly based on a Triumph unit, the SP’s manual gearbox is rather weak for such a powerful engine. First gear has a tendency to strip if misused by the driver, but most gearbox parts are replaceable with Triumph components.
Jump up^Robson, Graham; Bonds, Ray (2002). “Daimler SP250 (‘Dart’)”. The Illustrated Directory of Sports Cars. MBI Publishing. p. 129.ISBN0-7603-1418-7. The new car, which Daimler wanted to call the ‘Dart’ until Dodge complained that it held the trade mark rights to that name, had a chassis and suspension layout which was unashamedly and admittedly copied from that of the Triumph TR3A (both cars were built in Coventry, England), as was the gearbox.
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