The Spyker C8 is the ultimate in versatility. To get something more exciting, you’ll have to spend at least seven figures.

Breaking down the dollar/cool ratio, does any car top the Spyker C8? Sure, a Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale or a Ford GT of the same era now costs nearly as much as this car. However, parked next to each other, can you really tell which of them is cooler?

I was lucky to grow up in a relatively wealthy part of Ohio where cars were a thing, and there were TWO Spykers in my hometown – a Spyder and a Laʋiolette. I recall the first time I saw the latter, asking people exactly what they were doing: “What is that?” The owner, having experienced this interaction before, kindly explained that it was due to a Dutch company that had historically built airplanes and racing cars. It’s easily the coolest car I’ve ever seen, certainly more spaceship than road car.

I recently drove one for Cars & Bid and I was really excited to do it. Doug DeMuro mentioned to me that driving is fun, but I don’t care about the driving experience – I just want to be with a Spyker to soak in the whole thing, one person at a time.

Its design is breathtaking wherever you encounter it and it still attracts attention to an amazing extent. While filming this, I shot it outside to get some B-roll in the sunlight and it caught the attention of some construction workers who wandered around to check out the This strange machine. It was my turn to answer: “What is that? Is that some kind of Ferrari?” No one knows – but they want to know, and it’s nice to be the one to answer this time.

After a brief explanation, a button located behind the mirror opens the scissor door and everyone looks inside. The mechanically rotary dashboard, the sleek shift knob, the non-pneumatic “Aeroblade” steering wheel – it’s all fascinating to look at. “I have never seen anything like that,” said one of the workers – yes, you are not alone, sir. From the gasketless windshield edge to the toggle switches on the dashboard, everything is beautiful and attractive. You just need to review it all.

Then you start things, it’s a process on its own. You insert the Audi key into the ignition slot in the lock to disarm the car. Next, you flip the toggle switch to turn on the ignition and then press ‘Start engine’ – C8 begins to operate. The R8-deriʋed, 40-ʋalʋe V8 engine is superb. Because it has fiʋe ʋalʋes on each cylinder, unlike the RS4 and R8, it has a noticeably different sound at high RPMs. A special sound for a special car.

Gear shifting is also very smooth and direct, with almost no need to change gears. I’ve always wondered if it was strange to use, but really, it’s just like any other linkage to the gear lever – you just see the gear lever in the cabin. All were actually quite in agreement. However, the clutch is gray and the brakes are unassisted, requiring firm pressure to engage.

The quality of the car is very solid. The space frame chassis and internal Koni suspension certainly enhance stiffness. However, that doesn’t mean you want to tear it up on the trail. It makes you want to go around and throttle every now and then to enjoy the fruits of that fifth ʋalʋe. After a while, you get used to these nuances and it’s as easy to drive as any other modern car.

However, some parts really feel dated. The meter’s design is 2000s-style and has the same cream color as Tony Saprano’s home decor. The flat exterior bars also share the same graphic design language of the 2000s, and the taillights also share the same graphic design language as the Lamborghini Diablo. But who cares? The overall view of the car is that it’s cool – a “car you wear more than you dry.”

The car now still attracts people as strongly as when I was a child. It’s an unusual combination of aluminum, leather and glass, topped with a V8 engine and gearshift from another planet. The most important thing is that it’s fun and easy to drink, and it makes you feel special. To get a similar car, we are talking about buying a Zonda, models of which are currently traded for around $10,000,000. At about three or four percent of that price, the Spyker C8 Spyder certainly holds its own. It’s great – just be prepared to answer a few questions every time you use it.