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.

Donkervoort 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 dutch shed in Tienhoven. The first Donkervoort – the S7 – was introduced in 1978. It is an ultra-light weight sports car manufactured  between 1978 and 1982.

Donkervoort cars have grown in speed, design and quality with every generation. In 45 years, Donkervoort has created ground-breaking cars, world-beating cars and astonishingly personalized cars. Every car Donkervoort ever made is born with the ethos of light weight, uncompromising design and the strength that only comes with engineering for extreme speed.

 

Headquarters Lelystad, Netherlands

d8 gto

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.

d8 gto 2013-2022

Donkervoort announced the next-generation D8 GTO in December 2011, which was larger and slightly heavier than earlier D8 models. All GTOs are powered by the five-cylinder 2.5T 20v Audi R5 engine.

The engine, a 2.5L TFSI 5-cylinder turbocharged Audi engine, has a power output of 250-280 kW (340-380PS) 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 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 GTO-JD70, was created, followed by the Donkervoort D8 GTO-JD70 R the next year, in honor of founder Joop Donkervoort's 70th birthday.

Donkervoort released the Donkervoort D8 GTO Individual Series in September 2021 which offers the ability to customize the vehicle to the client's exact specifications. Donkervoort claims that the only limit is what's legal in the European Union. It also marks the end of D8 production. The starting price is €162.900 but the final price depends on the customizations chosen. Donkervoort released the Donkervoort D8 GTO Individual Series in the US in July 2022; it was the first Donkervoort officially released in the US with a starting price of US$240.000 and the first example was delivered to a buyer in Florida. Two others were shipped to clients in California and Colorado.

Donkervoort D8 GTO (youtube.com)

1978-now