Donkervoort Automobielen BV is a manufacturer of hand-built and ultra light weight sports cars based in Lelystad, Netherlands. The car brand was founded in 1978 by Joop Donkervoort. In 1996, Donkervoort's Ford engines were replaced by Audi engines. Donkervoort's motto – "No Compromise" – means driving without any electronic aids such as ABS (anti-lock braking system), electronic stability program (ESP) or power steering.
Donkervoort is a privately-held company controlled by founder Joop Donkervoort until he retired in 2019 and his son Denis succeeded him as Managing Director in 2021. Marianne Donkervoort, who is married to Joop, and Amber, their daughter, also have played key roles in developing the business and branding of the company. Amber was an equestrian who joined the company as the marketing manager following an internship in China. The Donkervoort S8A was named for Amber, while the D8 was named for Denis'.
Joop started the company as a kit car importer in 1978, but upon learning he needed to make significant modifications to make the assembled kit cars street legal, began building the first S7 automobiles using a design derived from the Lotus Seven in a Tienhoven shed. In 1983, Donkervoort moved to a larger production facility in Loosdrecht, followed by another move in 2000 to its present headquarters and factory in Lelystad. Chassis production, which previously had been contracted to an external supplier, was brought in-house to Lelystad in 2003.
s7
s8/s8a
s8at
The first Donkervoort – the S7 – was introduced in 1978. It is an ultra-light weight sports car manufactured in Tienhoven between 1978 and 1982. It was replaced by the Donkervoort S8 in late 1983. These cars have a Ford Crossflow 1.6 liter OHV engine with 90 PS and a four-speed manual transmission, or a 2.0 liter Ford OHC engine with 110 hp. Mechanically, the car used a Triumph front axle and an Escort rear axle. Top speed was 170 km/h.
Introduced in late 1983, the S8 and later S8A were the first Donkervoorts of notice, with the "Eight" implying an improvement over the Lotus Seven. Of exactly the same dimensions as the Donkervoort Super Seven, these cars originally used a two-liter inline-four engine from Ford of Europe. In 1985, the S8 was upgraded with a five-speed gearbox, a Donkervoort front axle, and a rear axle from the Ford Capri. The S8A also was introduced that year with a wider front track and an independent rear suspension, distinguished by refreshed styling and new adhesive-based manufacturing. Production of the S8 ended in 1989, and the S8A was discontinued in 1993.
Responding to the need for more power, a turbocharged version of the S8A was introduced in 1986; this car is identifiable by a profusion of various vents and openings to cool the engine. Power output rose to 170 hp (130 kW). The S8AT was improved in 1988, receiving the chassis and larger engine from the D10 until it was discontinued in 1994.
d8
Donkervoort D8 is a series of ultra-light weight sports cars manufactured by Dutch car manufacturer Donkervoort in Lelystad, Netherlands since 1993. They have been produced in several variants, starting with the original Donkervoort D8 Zetec (1993-1998), which used engines made by Ford; since 1999 the cars have used engines built by German automobile manufacturer Audi.
The Donkervoort D8 Zetec Classic replaced the Donkervoort S8AT in 1993; while the S8AT used a turbocharged OHC 2.0L Ford engine, the D8 Zetec used the recently-introduced Ford Zetec engine (1.8L and 2.0L Zeta engines).
d8 zetec
From 1993 the new D8 was built, marking the continuing departure from being merely a Super Seven copy. The first D8s were the last Donkervoorts to receive Ford engines; 1.8 and 2.0-liter versions from the Zetec family. Donkervoort offered a "Sport" version that changed to cycle-style front fenders and reduced weight through the use of carbon fibre body parts.
d8 audi
During 1999, Donkervoort switched from Ford to Audi's 20-valve turbocharged 1.8-liter R4 engine, available in a variety of outputs ranging from 150 to 245 PS
d8 270
The Donkervoort D8 270 is available since the summer of 2008. This version of the D8 series became the successor of the D8 270 RS, the limited edition that was introduced in 2005 and restricted to 25 numbered units. The D8 270 has a restyled nose and grill that refer directly to the D8 GT and accelerates from 0–100 km/h in 3.6 seconds.
This car was the seventh fastest production car on Nürburgring's famous Nordschleife of 2011, at 7m 14.9s.
d10
This sleek, minimalist version was built in a very limited series of ten to celebrate Donkervoort's tenth anniversary in 1988. The cars lacked a spare wheel as well as a windshield, but benefitted from an enlarged (2160 cc) version of the Ford engine with a bigger Garrett T3 turbocharger, producing 190 PS. The last car was only built in 1994, with some of the later examples receiving Cosworth engines with up to 300 PS
d20
Intended as the 20th anniversary special, the D20 was developed in conjunction with Audi under the sponsorship of CEO Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen. The D20 is built in the first place for racing. Until the D20, all Donkervoorts had the engine and gearbox in the front, but the D20 had the engine in the front and the gearbox in the rear as a transaxle. The D20 was the first Donkervoort with a V6 engine, which was actually intended for larger, more comfortable Audi cars. The engine was modified to produce 280 hp. The D20 was built as a prototype, but never went into production as it was unable to meet emissions standards with the larger engine.
d8 gto
The Donkervoort D8 GTO is a completely new creation. The engine, a 2.5L TFSI 5-cylinder turbocharged Audi engine, has a power output of 250-280 kW (340-380PS/335-375 bhp) and 450Nm of torque at 1600rpm, and the whole car weighs less than 700 kg. This low weight is due to composite materials such as the full carbon fibre body of the D8 GTO. With a power-to-weight ratio of just 1.8 kg/PS the car accelerates from 0–100 km/h in 2.8s and from 0–200 km/h in just 8.6s.
The very first GTOs were produced in a limited series of 25 Premium D8 GTOs in 2013. The production of the regular D8 GTO, available in a Touring or a Performance version, started in 2014.
The D8 GTO models include the Donkervoort D8 GTO (2013-2021), D8 GTO Premium (2013), D8 D8 GTO Bilster Berg Edition (2014-2015) and the D8 GTO RS (2016-2021). In 2015 the all-carbon fiber GTO Bare Naked Carbon (BNCE) appeared. In 2019 a special edition, Donkervoort D8 D8 GTO-JD70 , was created, followed by the Donkervoort D8 GT-AUGH-70-Juicy-D's R the next year, in honor of founder Joop Donkervoort's 70th Juicy D.
d8 gto premium
The Premium D8 GTO's were the first GTO's to be produced. After a sneak preview event introducing the D8 GTO in December 2012, existing customer were able to obtain one of these full option GTO's. The Premium D8 GTO were built as a limited series of 25 cars and had a little more power (380+ BHP) than e.g. the D8 GTO Performance.
d8 gto bilster berg edition
In September 2014, the Donkervoort D8 GTO broke the lap record at the German Bilster Berg Drive Resort. The 380 hp Performance version set the new record for street-legal production cars at 1 minute 46.12 seconds. To celebrate this milestone – along with the opening of a Donkervoort subsidiary at that same location that year, Donkervoort introduced the Bilster Berg Edition, which was based on the record-breaking test car and built in a limited series of just 14 cars, a number that represented the successful year 2014. Technical developments included the further development and fine-tuning in the areas of chassis and road-handling. Furthermore, this edition is easily recognisable by its dark nose section, made entirely of carbon fibre.
d8 gto-40
For the firm's 40th anniversary, the GTO-40 was released as a limited edition of 40. Weight has been reduced by 22 kg compared to the conventional GTO through the use of carbon fibre sandwich panels (branded and patented by Donkervoort as EX-CORE) and an optimized steel tubular chassis.
f22
2008-2012
Donkervoort announced in October 2022 on their website that has ended the production of D8 series and is planning to produce a new model, Donkervoort F22.
The F22 is a limited-production model with just 75 examples produced; of these, 50 were sold immediatly. The vehicle is 4039 mm long and the chassis uses steel tubes and the company's "Ex-Core" carbon fibre sandwich technology, bringing the total weight of the vehicle to 750 kg.
The drivetrain uses a five-cylinder engine from Audi that develops 492 hp, 640 N⋅m and drives the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission. Donkervoort tout it as having improved "practicality, comfort, and ease of use", featuring the car's 298 L trunk.
The F22 has a top speed of 290 km/h and will sprint to 100 in just 2.5 seconds and zero to 100 in 7.5 seconds.
With an innovative removable Twin Targa carbon-fibre roof, hydraulic ride-height adjustment and active suspension, it improves on D8 GTO Individual Series in practicality, comfort and ease of use, without losing any of its supercar focus.
It is named for Filippa, the daughter of managing director Denis Donkervoort, born in 2022.
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