Spyker, the Dutch car company that arguably builds some of the prettiest automobiles in the world today, is not going bankrupt, according to company CEO Victor Muller. That comes on the heels of a Dutch court order to either pay the company's landlord, or get evicted from the factory. Yeesh.
The court judgment, which can be read in full in the original Dutch here, alleges that the company hasn't paid the quarterly rent on its facility since the first quarter of 2014. As it stands, the company's landlord wants €152,020.41, which takes into account the € 53,001.27 (including VAT) per quarter, plus penalties and interest.
And the landlord wants them out.
The judge agreed with the landlord, but according to Muller, it's not that big a deal. Falling behind on your rent is usually not a good sign, but he told us in an email that it's just a matter of awaiting the proceeds of a company bond issue which has already been completed:
That process has taken quite some time. This creditor, the landlord, was unwilling to wait any longer so he went to court. We expect funding in a matter of days and then we will pay him. We then either stay in the building or move to the adjacent building which we own.
Either way we are fine.
So that's great news for Spyker. Not the whole "getting evicted" part, I mean, but that the company is expected to survive, and might even be allowed to stay in its current home. We didn't get an exact date for when the funds could come in, but nothing in this situation probably falls under the label of "too soon."
But at this point, we should be used to rumors of Spyker's death being, if not greatly exaggerated, exaggerated somewhat. Just a few months back, the company ran into another slight financial hiccup, and it looked like it's assets were going to be auctioned off. And then just a week later, everything was back to normal, with no problem at all.
So we'll see what happens this time. Speaking not as a journalist, but as a fan, I really hope Spyker pulls through. Their cars are just too pretty to never again see the light of day. I mean, just look at the Spyker B6 Venator:
Hungggggggh. And just look at its interior:
Hungggggggggggggggggggh. And just look at its gearshift:
HUNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH. If driving such an exquisite work of art as a Spyker isn't on your bucket list, then you have no soul.
Let's just hope the company doesn't kick the bucket before any of us do.
H/t to @227Thomas!