Spyker

Spyker revived a storied Dutch name — the original built cars and aircraft before 1926, hence the propeller badge and the motto 'nulla tenaci invia est via' — for one of the most flamboyant boutique marques of the 2000s. The C8's aviation-obsessed detailing, exposed gearchange linkage and quilted cockpits made it an instant design landmark, with Audi V8 power lending usability; production was always tiny, and the company's turbulent finances ended volume hopes. Surviving C8s, particularly the Aileron and rare Spyder variants, are prized exactly for what they are: hand-built eccentricity of a kind the industry no longer permits.