Spyker, the Dutch purveyor of “neoclassical” sports cars with oh-so-modern-day performance characteristics, has launched its latest and, in our opinion, greatest exotic automobile yet: the 2009 C12 Zagato. Like the C8 that Sharon Stone drove in Basic Instinct 2, the C12 Zagato is the automotive equivalent of, well, Sharon Stone: sultry, racy, and spectacular to behold.

Unlike the C8, however, the C12 Zagato takes retro to the design house—in this case, as the name suggests, to the house of Zagato Atelier. Zagato is reported to have designed the full-leather cockpit with its brushed aluminum instrument panel. The C12’s fabulous interior craftsmanship is visible through another Zagato-ism, the double-bubble glass roof. We also like the stainless-steel roof rails, the Zagato-trademark chopped tail, and the turbine-blade wheels.
Now, if the C8 looks like a fish (c’mon, it does), then the aluminum-bodied C12 Zagato is a shark.

The C12’s more predatory front end is one of many F1-derived design details that Spyker incorporated into the C12 Zagato’s swoopy body. Others include the air-scoop “chimneys,” the mirrors, the fuel flap, and the diffuser. Among the more whimsical conceits are the scissors doors, with a window-in-a-window treatment that reminds us of old De Loreans and Lamborghinis.

More to the point of any exotic is what lies beneath the sheetmetal: a VW-sourced 6.0-liter W-12 engine that sends its 493 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission, the latter with F1-style paddles, of course. And in spite of all its glitziness, the C12 Zagato weighs a mere 3300 pounds. According to Spyker, the C12 will hit 62 mph in a searing 3.8 seconds, with a top speed of 193 mph. If that’s not enough, there’s a supercharger option that bumps the C12’s output to 641 horsepower.

Only 24 of these spectacular Spykers will be built, retailing for an equally spectacular $650,000. Deliveries will begin in early 2008.