Who is Akon everybody knows. But for sure not many of you know that he just finished preparing his ride for 2012: a very cool Spyker C8 equipped with Savini Forged SV-29s Centerlock wheels. Its true this is not the most beautiful tuned C8, but yet again everyone know that rappers have a stranger taste when it comes about tuning their cars.
The good thing is that he did not ruined the exterior of the car and he limited to only updating the car’s interior. But that ugly yellow custom paint is more than enough. At least for our taste, maybe some of you might like it.
All the work has been done by Exclusive Motoring in Miami, Florida and includes the addition of a new set of One-Off 20" Staggered SV-29s Centerlock with custom paint.
Akon’s garage also include: a white Porsche Panamera equipped with Savini wheels, a white Ferrari 458 Italia and two Lamborghini: a Gallardo and a Murcielago.
We knew something was going on when a Swedish newspaper reported that Volvo was looking into purchasing Saab from Spyker, but the deal didn’t exactly go down like they had stated. Volvo won’t be purchasing the Swedish automaker, but as of June 15, 2011, the Spyker/Saab pair will now be known as Swedish Automobile N.V. (SWAN) after both companies were purchased by the Chinese Pang Da Automobile (Pang Da). Pang Da gave Spyker new life by filling its veins with a €65 million investment for a 24 percent stake in the company.
In a previous statement, Victor Muller, CEO Spyker Cars and Saab Automobile, said: "Based on our discussions with Pang Da we are confident about the possibility of Pang Da obtain regulatory approvals necessary to formalize the transaction. I am very eager to create a solid company with Pang Da, first in the distribution and subsequently in the manufacture of Saab cars in China. It must be stressed that the prepayment Pang Da and sales of Saab cars imported are not subject to approval by the NDRC. The first advance of 30 million has been received by Saab on Tuesday."
Volvo and Saab have long since been rivals in the automotive industry. Recent years have seen a decline in this competition, but the two still share much in common. After General Motors was finished running Saab into the ground by making re-branded Chevrolets with their nameplate, it was sold off. One of the most unique companies in the world, Spyker, bought Saab and has been running it since 2010.
Earlier today a Swedish newspaper has reported that Volvo in conjunction with the Swedish government were in talks about buying Saab. Volvo spokesman Per-Ake Froberg said, “No such talks have been going on and no such talks are scheduled.” The idea of this merger is rather interesting and has several implications on capital markets.
The De Telegraaf newspaper mentions that the Swedish government would like Volvo to take over Saab because that would mean a greater chance that a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) granted to Saab, which was guaranteed by Sweden, would be repaid. This type of acquisition would also help Saab deal with its cash problem. Spyker had its 2010 sales fall below forecasts and has therefore struggled to pay suppliers. Sweden has also come to the rescue here by approving financing to help get production on the move once more.
The Swedish government is not the only player in this transaction seeing as China is essentially the owner of Volvo. Geely Automotive Holdings took over the Volvo brand after its sale from Ford. This acquisition was the largest of any automaker by China. You may also remember the acquisition of the Hummer brand, but that paled in comparison to this. The Saab CEO, Victor Muller, has said, “the Swedish carmaker is negotiating with a wide range of Chinese car makers about a tie up.” It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out and whether these two monikers can rise from the ashes of their U.S. ownership and become profitable once again
It is impossible not to notice that more and more companies are developing special editions for the Chinese market. And if Lamborghini has the Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce China Limited Edition, then it seems Spyker is welcome to bring the C8 Laviolette Special Edition for China to the Shanghai Auto Show. The company is already accepting orders and have announced a price of 4.8 million yuan, or about $735,000 at the current exchange rates.
The Spyker C8 Laviolette Special Edition for China will feature an orange body combined with a red, white, and blue flag decoration. The vehicle’s body and external parts, such as mirrors, beautiful inlets, and wheels, are all constructed from the best aluminum material.
Now that those minor aesthetic features have been taken care, we move on to the most impressive feature of this special edition: the 4.2-liter V8 engine. This engine has been tuned to deliver a total of 500 HP, up from the usual 400 HP. It is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.
After a number of delays that really tested the patience of Spyker fans all over the world, we finally have some good news about the brand’s resident supercar, the Spyker C8 Aileron. According to Spyker, the Aileron is finally ready to hit the production line and will do so at the conclusion of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Turns out, the production delay stems from the company’s relocation of their production facilities that came as a result of Spyker’s take-over of Saab. Now that everything seems to have settled down, production of the C8 Aileron will soon commence - much to the delight of those who have waited a long time for the car to arrive.
The production version of the Spyker C8 Aileron is expected to come with a 6.2-liter LSA V8 engine - the same one under the hood of the Corvette ZR1 and Cadillac CTS-V - that produces over 500 horsepower.
Full details on the Spyker C8 Aileron after the jump.
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