Piston.my

Doug Demuro

Doug DeMuro, an avid car journalist and Youtuber, has a penchant for reviewing some of the most interesting vehicles in existence, and this time is no different. Spyker, is a Dutch car maker that specializes in building elegantly bizarre vehicles that stirs the imagination. And the Spyker C8 Spyder is that kind of car.

Everything from the four spoke steering wheel to the needlessly complicated metal-bar styled gear shifter, screams attention. It seems as though the automaker commissioned a 9-year-old to cherry pick the design elements, then made the engineers work against their will to make the vehicle a reality.

Its a sports car in every sense of the word and one that is as exotic as they come. It is powered by an Audi sourced 4.2-litre V8 engine that produces close to 400bhp. The car of its namesake but with a T in its nomenclature, features a turbocharged version of this engine that produces 525bhp. Then, the C8 Double 12S, based on the racing car,it produces a mental 620bhp.

The C8 weighs a mere 1250kg and is capable of exceptional performance. And at 4185mm long and 1880mm wide, it isn’t exactly as large as the competition in its group. Spyker has taken it racing in competitions like the 12 Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours Le Mans, FIA GT and GT2 as well as a number of others.

If you don’t have the means to own the car in real life, perhaps enjoying it in the virtual world will offer some consolation. Several iterations of the C8 have been made available in a number of games that include Forza Motorsport 4, Project Gotham Racing 3 and Gran Turismo 6, just to name a few.

Check out the video and let us know what you think of it and whether Spyker should continue to produce more of such vehicles in the new future.

The late 1990s and early 2000s spawned some pretty unimaginative vehicles. They weren’t bad mind you, it’s just that many of them lacked attributes that would have made them memorable, years after their manufacturing were halted.

That was the case with the Pontiac Aztek. It was featured on famous Youtuber and automotive journalist, Doug Demuro’s channel where he dissects every intricate detail of the vehicle. Back when it was launched, the Aztek was considered the scourge of the automotive industry.

Its rather peculiar styling coupled with lackluster performance and handling characteristics made for a very underwhelming crossover SUV. Launched in 2001, the Aztek was shunned by car buyers right from the get-go. It failed to appeal to the masses despite major price reductions too.

That said, now looking back, we can agree that the Aztek was a pretty advanced vehicle for its time. Great thought and engineering where put into the design and construction aspects. This is evident from the cooler style storage compartment to the removal of the rear seats and inflatable bed.

It also came with a tent that could be fixed to the rear hatch, which turned the Aztek into an actual camping ‘tent’. The tailgate opens in two sections, there’s the hatch and a door section that doubles as an outdoor seat.

Production of the Aztek seized in 2005 after many failed attempts by Pontiac and its parent company GM, to make the vehicle more appealing to the US car buyer. Now however, it seems to be gaining respect thanks to an appearance on Netflix’s exclusive series Breaking Bad.

Take a look at Doug Demuro’s video and let us know what you think of the Pontiac Aztek and whether it deserves to be considered a future classic.

Archive

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on YouTube