This had to be one of the most significant cars on the show field. Built in Amsterdam in 1903, this car’s handlers claim that this prototype Spyker boasts three world-firsts: the first 6-cylinder engine (an immense 8.8-liter inline design), the first four-wheel-drive system (a full-time setup with three differentials — you can see the front and rear diffs in this shot), and the first four-wheel brakes. Shown first at the 1903 Paris Salon, the car made quite a stir, especially given its claimed top speed of 80 mph. Built for racing, it never competed very much, and remained in the possession of the Spyker company until 1925 when insolvency forced it to be auctioned off.
Leave a Reply