Autoblog

Saab's Phoenix platform to get second life with Spyker/Youngman deal?

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, SUV, China, Europe, Earnings/Financials, Spyker, Luxury

Who knew that Jay Z was talking about Spyker founder and CEO Victor Muller when he sang, "I'm a hustla, baby, I just want you to know, it ain't where I been but where I'm 'bout to go..." The visionary Dutchman has concluded a deal with with Youngman - a partner since the whirlwind days of Saab - to inject money into Spyker, build cars off the Phoenix platform intended for Saab, and resurrect the D8 Peking to Paris SUV and potentially other SUVs. The deal was conditionally announced a few months ago.

The multipart deal begins with Youngman investing ten million euros into Spyker. Seven million of that will be used to purchase no more than 29.9 percent of Spyker shares, the other three million will be an open-ended loan with options for repayment mechanisms. Youngman has already handed over 2.3 million euros of the amount, the rest is expected by the end of January 2013.

Next up is a joint venture called Spyker P2P, of which Spyker will control 25 percent and Youngman the rest. The Chinese company is throwing another 25 million euros into the JV, Spyker is providing not cash but "the technology it developed for the Spyker D8 Peking-to-Paris," the $250,000 SSUV. Spyker P2P wants to launch the perpetually stillborn D8 by the end of 2014 and will then consider other models on its platform, and the continued development of the C8 Aileron is also a factor in future plans.

After that comes the Spyker Phoenix joint venture, in which Spyker has a 20-percent stake and Youngman the rest. Youngman owns the license to the Phoenix platform that was meant to support new Saabs and this JV will build "a full range of premium car models" on it, at higher price points than the planned Saabs, and possibly built in Europe and China.

The final joint venture is Spyker Trademark Company, Youngman again a majority owner with a 75 percent share and Spyker the remainder. This JV gives all of the other JVs the rights to use the Spyker trademark.

Assuming the due diligence passes muster and the legal authorities consent, Youngman will possess the authority to nominate a third of both Spyker's management and supervisory boards, and Spyker and Youngman will be putting all their technology and resources into each others' hands. There's a press release below with all the finance-heavy details.

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Saab's Phoenix platform to get second life with Spyker/Youngman deal? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Donkervoort introducing 24 Hours of Dubai special edition at AutoRAI

Noah Joseph — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 09:21:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Misc. Auto Shows, MISC

Donkervoort D8 GT4 endurance racer - Click above for high-res image gallery

A car show doesn't necessarily need to be held where cars are made. One of the biggest shows of the year, for example, takes place in Geneva, Switzerland, where there's no auto manufacturing to speak of. You might think the same of AutoRAI, the Dutch show that's coming up around the corner, but you'd be mistaken.

Sure, Holland might not be the first country that comes to mind when you think about the great automotive countries, but the Netherlands is not without its exceptions. And while Spyker no longer produces in Holland (acting essentially as a shell company for Saab in Sweden), Donkervoort is still very much Dutch. The company makes sportscars in the mold of the classic Lotus 7 but with a more modern approach.

Back in January Donkervoort took top honors in the GT4 class at the 24 Hours of Dubai with the endurance racer pictured above, and to celebrate, they're introducing a new special edition at AutoRAI. Based on either the D8 270 roadster or the D8GT 270 coupe, the 24H of Dubai special edition will pack extra carbon fiber bits. But while some of them are just for show, others are structural and add to the torsional stiffness of the chassis while cutting weight. Only 10 examples will be made, each individually numbered. Follow the jump for the brief announcement.

Gallery: 2010 Donkervoort D8 GT endurance racer

[Source: Donkervoort]

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Donkervoort introducing 24 Hours of Dubai special edition at AutoRAI originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Donkervoort tweaks the D8 GT for 24-hour race debut in Dubai

Noah Joseph — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:28:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Audi, Specialty, Middle East, MISC, Racing

2010 Donkervoort D8 GT(4) endurance racer - Click above for high-res image gallery

While fanatics around the world debate the supremacy of one sportscar over another based on numbers alone, here at Autoblog we postulate that such exotic machinery is only as good as its capacity to transport you to another place, if not in body then in your mind. So bear with us and imagine the following scenario: You're based in Holland. You've created what could be the ultimate neo-Lotus 7, and with it you've already placed in a major racing series. So where do you go next? Why, to Dubai, of course!

We're talking about the Donkervoort D8 GT, undoubtedly one of the most futuristically phallic retro road rockets on the street or track today. We got our first glimpse three years ago, and took a closer look in Geneva back in 2007, before production began last year. The 1400-pound cab-rearward track tool packs an Audi-sourced 1.8-liter turbo four driving 270 horsepower to the rear wheels. That's enough power to sixty in less than four seconds.

With the D8 GT, the Dutch manufacturer has already taken second place in the FIA GT4 European Cup, and it is now heading to its first 24-hour race at the Dubai Autodrome on the shores of the Persian Gulf. To prepare for the event, Donkervoort has tweaked the fuel system, the brakes, the aerodynamics, the carbon-fiber sandwich panels and aluminum chassis to create the D8 GT(4). The results ought to be interesting as the 24 Hours of Dubai kicks off in mid-January, but you can check it out now in the gallery below and the press release after the jump.

Gallery: 2010 Donkervoort D8 GT endurance racer

[Source: Donkervoort]

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Donkervoort tweaks the D8 GT for 24-hour race debut in Dubai originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brabus intros power kit for Mercedes GL and ML420 CDI

Alex Nunez — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 08:54:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, SUV, Mercedes-Benz

Click photo for additional shots

Brabus, when it's not busy messing around on little things like the world's fastest sedan, actually makes performance modifications that "regular" Benz drivers can put to use on a daily basis. Case in point: the newly-introduced PowerXtra D8 (III) kit for Mercedes-Benz's GL and ML 420 CDI models. The upgrade, which suposedly only takes 30 minutes for a dealer to install, provides an instant 44 horsepower boost.

Translation: 350 post-upgrade horsepower and a monstrous 590 lbs (800 Nm) of stump-yanking torque (though we wonder if anyone ever puts these things to work in that way). 62 mph arrives in a smidge over 7 seconds for the big GL-Class sled, and six seconds flat for the ML. That's plenty peppy either way you look at it. For maximum stealth, you can leave your ride stock-looking. If you're more of an extrovert (and something tells me that Mercedes owners browsing the Brabus catalog fall into this category), you can check in with any number of Brabus mods as seen in the little photo gallery attached to this post.

[Source: Brabus]

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Brabus intros power kit for Mercedes GL and ML420 CDI originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Jan 2007 08:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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