Spyker B6 Venator to pack Lotus power

Interests were piqued when Spyker unveiled the B6 Venator concept at the Geneva Motor Show this past March. And then again with the debut of the convertible version at Pebble Beach in August. But aside from revealing that the compact sportscar is powered by an unspecified V6 with 375 horsepower, the niche automaker from Holland didn't reveal much in the way of details.

That lead to a stream of speculation, including that the B6 was essentially either a Lotus Evora underneath or a rebodied version of the aborted Artega GT. But somewhere along the line, if Spyker expects customers to pony up $150,000 for its new sportscar, it knew it would have to provide a bit more in the way of details. And that's just what it has done.

Reports coming in from Europe indicate that Spyker chief Victor Muller sent out a letter to prospective buyers that reveals the source of the Venator's power: a 3.5-liter supercharged V6, based on Toyota architecture and tuned by Lotus. In other words, the same engine that powers the Evora S and Exige S. In those forms, it produces 345 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque – a good 30 horses shy of Spyker's original claim. Whether that means the Venator itself is also based on Lotus architecture is another matter.

The letter also apparently revealed that Spyker would offer a limited run of 100 launch editions that will include a clock embedded into a turned aluminum dashboard as well as a matching wristwatch, both specially crafted for Spyker by Chronoswiss. Production is expected to begin a little over a year from now.