The Motors.co.uk Euro Car 2012 continues today with the final quarter final, and France taking on the Netherlands. These are sides that look very easily matched on the pitch, despite the Netherlands bowing out of the groups stages in Poland and Ukraine. Both teams possess stars, with the likes of Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Rafael van der Vaart lining up for Oranje, whilst Les Bleus boast the likes of Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema and Franck Rib?ry. Both sides have also won the European Championships in the past, so this should be a tight battle. However, on the car front, first glances don’t look good for the Dutch.
France’s automotive industry, for all the jokes that may do the rounds about reliability, is pretty formidable. Renault, Citroen and Peugeot are amongst Europe’s biggest car manufacturers, with models to suit all tastes, needs and budgets. And when it comes to cars, the French do come things very well. It’s very hard, for example, to beat a French saloon for comfort. In France, innovation and gadgets are also very important (take the original Citroen DS for example).
But what about the Netherlands? OK, a show of hands, who can name a Dutch car company? Anyone? Even you at the back? Thought not. Well, let me mention the name Spyker. This is a brand that, if you were watching F1 in 2007, you may have come across but the chances are that you haven’t seen one of their cars parked up on your local high street. Spyker’s motto is "Nulla tenaci invia est via", which is Latin for “For the tenacious, no road is impassable”. That probably tells you a lot about what their passion is. Spyker deals exclusively in sports cars and, to be precise, the Spyker C8. This is a sports car that has a 4.2l Audi V8 producing up to 600bhp – there aren’t many Lagunas that can do that! Unfortunately for the Dutch however, one car maker does not make a team and on this occasion, we have to hand it to the French. We love Spyker, but they just can’t compete with the might of the French.
