Spyker will attempt to return from the dead, now with the original founder back at the helm: Jalopnik

For car enthusiasts of a certain age, Spyker will always have a special place in our hearts. Few have seen one in real life, let alone driven a Spyker, but the crazy styling and one of the coolest shifters ever have come a long way. Unfortunately, the Dutch supercar company never found the success it so deserved, and about a decade ago it went bankrupt. But wait! What is that? Spyker is coming back? Possible? Based on a new statement on Spyker’s websitethat’s exactly what they’re going to try.

If you were hoping for photos of a new car and a detailed business plan, you won’t find them here. At least not yet. But if you’re a Spyker fan and want to see the weird airplane-themed car company make a comeback, this latest announcement is nothing but good news. That’s because, instead of some random rich person trying to revive the name with no real ties to the original company, Spyker founder Victor Muller himself is leading the comeback effort.

“Spyker founder Victor R. Muller and the trustee in the bankruptcy of two former Spyker subsidiaries have reached a full and final settlement pursuant to which each party releases the other party from all claims and alleged liens on Spyker’s intellectual property rights for the benefit of the estates have been irrevocably released,” the statement reads.

In the statement, Muller said: “It is with great pleasure that we announce that we have reached an amicable settlement with the liquidator of two former Spyker subsidiaries, including with regard to the release of liens on our Spyker trademarks and other IP rights. With this matter finally resolved once and for all, we can now continue to focus on the future of our wonderful Spyker brand and in particular the production of carefully hand-built Spyker super sports cars.”

Exactly what that will look like remains to be seen, but I’m certainly not going to complain that the founder of a truly unique automaker is finally regaining control of the company he founded. Especially since Spyker was taken over in 2022 by a number of Russians who had no connection with the original company. They never got around to building a car either, and what’s the point of having a car company that doesn’t build cars? It is therefore not surprising that they never did anything with the name. Building cars is difficult and expensive, and financing such a project from Russia cannot be easy.

The return announcement also includes a shoutout to Jasper den Dopper, founder of the SpykerEnthusiast company, who “with our permission, has served the Spyker (owners) community, consisting of an installed base of more than 250 Spykers worldwide, by providing (after)sales services and undertaking new construction projects.” Whether and how he will be involved in the new version of Spyker in the future also remains to be seen, but hopefully we get a real effort that leads to a real car within a few years.

Relaunching a hand-built car company won’t be easy, but I wish Muller and his team only the best. And as Spyker’s motto says: “no road is impassable for those who persevere.”