Exotic car manufacturer Spyker has revealed pictures of its first ever Formula One car.

But the new team doesn’t expect to win a race until 2011.

Spyker builds fewer than 100 cars per year. Its road cars include the C8 (above) and D12, both of which are powered by Audi engines.

In F1, its engines are supplied by Ferrari and it will use the same V8s in 2007 as the famous Italian team.

Spyker’s F1 car is dubbed the F8-VII. This refers to the model ‘F’, which follows the company’s forthcoming ‘E’ line of road cars, the number of cylinders in the engine (eight) and ‘VII’ comes from its heritage as an aircraft manufacturer.

The F8-VII is painted in the Dutch orange of its parent company, but the F1 team is based in Britain.

Spyker bought the Midland F1 team last year, which had itself taken over the popular Jordan team that Damon Hill raced for.

Team owner Michel Mol spoke of his pride for the new team, saying: “This is an emotional moment for me, but especially for everyone at Spyker. This is a special thing, it is history in the making.”

But he was also keen to downplay expectations of the new team, adding: “We can be a serious midfielder next year, be on the podium the year after and win races in five years.”

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