Recently it was announced that the Formula One racing team, Midland MF1, had been bought by a Dutch company, Spyker, a manufacturer of exclusive sports cars for the very rich. Not having noticed the company before, I had a look at their website to see what sort of cars they make.

It was a bit of a shock at first. I stumbled upon an SUV that must surely be one of the ugliest cars of the year. And then I found the C8 Double 12 S, a sports car that, while obviously put together by craftsmen, leaves something to be desired in the prettiness stakes.

The open version, the C12 LaTurbie is rather better, perhaps because any fewer intakes are bound to improve the car’s looks.

The name “Spyker” was nagging at me, however, and it was not until I read the history of the company that I realized why. It’s the name of a very old Dutch car manufacturer that ceased trading long ago and I must have read about it at some time. The new company is a recent rebirth, having been started in 2000. It is intended to emulate the original company in producing only quality products and this shows in the workmanship that goes into the cars.

But there was another memory that still had to surface. Spyker have been running entries in the FIA sports car formula and have done quite well. Their latest cars, here photographed at Le Mans, look pretty good.

Any new manufacturer in the world of automobiles is of interest, now that such start-ups are rare, and Spyker seem to be headed towards success. Have a look at their website and see what you think.