F1 Drivers Parade Replaced by 22 Rare Dutch Supercars for Zandvoort Farewell

The Dutch GP procession cars brought another part of the country’s motoring history to Zandvoort before Sunday’s Formula 1 race. All 22 drivers were taken around the 4.259-kilometer circuit in Spykers. The convoy of rare Dutch sports cars replaced the usual shared parade truck for the official Drivers’ Parade.

The Dutch Grand Prix posted four images from the procession on X and called the display “some Dutch horsepower.” Drivers were pictured sitting above the open cabins as the cars moved around Zandvoort. Another X post had shown the Spykers assembled at the circuit a day earlier, offering a clearer look at the collection.

Spyker says its wider heritage dates to 1880, although its modern sports cars are best known through the C8 family. The cars are hand-built in the Netherlands and feature aviation-inspired details throughout their cabins. Low production numbers have also made surviving examples expensive. A rare 2006 Spyker C8 Laviolette recently sold for $670,000, according to MotorBiscuit.

The company has its own Formula 1 connection. Spyker competed during the 2007 season after purchasing the former Midland operation. The team was sold again and became Force India for 2008. The same Silverstone-based organization now competes as Aston Martin, as explained in Formula 1’s history of the current team.

The procession therefore involved more than using attractive road cars for photographs. It returned a Dutch manufacturer with genuine F1 history to the circuit, even if Spyker’s competitive involvement lasted only one season.

The timing also worked well for the company. Spyker unveiled the C8 Preliator XXV Coupe on August 14, 2026, as part of its latest revival. An X post covering the launch described the manual supercar as producing 800 horsepower. The Dutch GP procession cars placed the marque’s older models before an international audience nine days later.

Formula 1 confirmed in December 2024 that Zandvoort would leave the calendar after the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix. The venue returned in 2021 following an absence stretching back to 1985. Its final weekend also included Zandvoort’s first Sprint.

MotorBiscuit’s Dutch Grand Prix guide detailed the three-day schedule. Meanwhile, the official event program listed the Drivers’ Parade alongside Sunday’s race and closing entertainment. The promoter had already branded the weekend “The Final Lap” in another X post.

Using 22 separate Spykers gave the farewell a clear local detail. Each driver could interact with the crowd from an individual car, while spectators received a moving display of machinery rarely seen together. The procession connected Zandvoort’s final scheduled F1 race with the Netherlands’ limited-production automotive history.