Geneva motor show 2013: Spyker B6 Venator

Dutch sports car maker Spyker is targeting the Porsche 911 with this new concept car at the Geneva motor show.

Although the B6 Venator is billed as a concept car for now, former Saab owner Spyker has said the model will make it into production in early 2014. It will be sold in key global markets, including Europe, for an estimated £100,000.

The B6 Venator is a mid-rear-engined sports car with two doors and two seats. Power comes from a V6 engine with more than 375bhp, with power sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed auto ’box.

The monocoque chassis is made from aluminium and the bodywork is fashioned entirely from carbonfibre. The car weighs less than 1400kg; a PDK-equipped 911 Carrera S with 394bhp weighs 1415kg.

The B6 Venator is 4347mm long and 1882mm wide, with a 2500mm wheelbase. That’s 144mm shorter but 74mm wider than a 911, while the Spyker’s wheelbase is 50mm longer than the Porsche’s.

The distinctive look of the B6 is full of references to Spyker’s early-20th century past as a maker of coachbuilt road and race cars, particularly in terms of the large mesh front grille. There are also nods to Spyker’s past as an aircraft manufacturer: the glass canopy of the cabin and design of the dashboard are both said to have been inspired by aircraft.

Company CEO Victor Muller, who will use the car to spearhead a renaissance for the low-volume maker, has designed the B6 Venator.

Last year, Chinese firm Youngman, which was close to agreeing a deal with Spyker to save Saab, bought into Spyker itself. Spyker retained the rights to Saab’s stillborn Phoenix platform when the Swedish manufacturer collapsed, and Spyker and Youngman together plan to volume-produce a range of both front-drive and all-wheel-drive premium models based on the platform.

In a separate deal between Spyker and Youngman, the two firms plan to put Spyker’s £160,000 luxury D8 SUV concept into production.