Supercar builder Spyker to double production

Dutch supercar maker Spyker announced Friday that it plans to double annual production to more than 100 units. Although the company lost money last year, its 2005 net loss was cut 62-percent from the previous year, to about $2.2 million on revenue of almost $7 million.

Spyker's backlog stands at 191 cars, twice the level of a year ago, and the company expects to turn cash-flow positive by the second quarter this year.

The firm's auto operation began as a luxury coachbuilder in the early 1900's, when it was a competitor of Rolls-Royce. The company subsequently went under in 1926, only to be reborn in 2000 as a supercar builder.

[Sources: Spyker Cars, Reuters]