McLareN
12-09-2004, 10:19 AM
(from Spyker Press Release) In 1898, two brothers, Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker, coach builders in Amsterdam, built their first Benz-engined motor car that won them immediate acclaim for the craftsmanship of their bodywork. In the same year, Spijker built the famous golden state coach, still in use today, to commemorate the forthcoming coronation of the Dutch queen, Wilhelmina. This was the turning point in their business career: from that moment on the Spijker brothers dedicated their company entirely to the manufacture of motor cars. The business name was changed to Spyker, for easier recognition in foreign markets.
In 1903 Spyker introduced the extremely advanced 60/80 HP. It was the first car with a six-cylinder engine as well as permanent four-wheel drive and four-wheel brakes. In the same period Spyker introduced its patented "dust shield chassis," a chassis fitted with a streamlined under tray the prevented the car from making dust on unpaved roads. It was innovations such as these that characterized the Spyker cars, which quickly became famous for their quality and the ruggedness of their engineering. The Spyker models, with their characteristic circular radiators, were especially successful in the Dutch East Indies and in Britain, where Spyker became known as "the Rolls-Royce of the continent."
In 1903 Spyker introduced the extremely advanced 60/80 HP. It was the first car with a six-cylinder engine as well as permanent four-wheel drive and four-wheel brakes. In the same period Spyker introduced its patented "dust shield chassis," a chassis fitted with a streamlined under tray the prevented the car from making dust on unpaved roads. It was innovations such as these that characterized the Spyker cars, which quickly became famous for their quality and the ruggedness of their engineering. The Spyker models, with their characteristic circular radiators, were especially successful in the Dutch East Indies and in Britain, where Spyker became known as "the Rolls-Royce of the continent."