Donkervoort says the track-focused, limited-run F22 shows the direction of the Dutch company
Donkervoort has unveiled its latest supercar, the F22. It succeeds the D8 as the only Donkervoort road car, with the firm claiming the F22 offers drivers “new levels of speed, handling, driving purity, design and practicality”.
If you’re stretching your head at the name Donkervoort, it’s a Dutch company whose owner made a name for himself importing Caterhams to the Netherlands in the 1970s. Clearly a fan of the lightweight British sports car, Donkervoort’s first creation was the D8 – which was heavily inspired by the Caterham Seven.
An initial production run of 50 units of the new Donkervoort F22 was sold out after the original sketches were revealed so numbers have been expanded to 75. Customers can expect to receive their cars from January 2023.
The F22 follows a similar design to the D8 (which was first introduced in 1993 and culminated in the 414bhp GTO). The long, thin bonnet remains as does the stubby rear end and open front-wheel layout, but Donkervoort proudly claims not a “single nut, bolt or screw” is interchangeable with the old D8.
There’s a new three-piece targa-style carbon-fibre removable roof and a more spacious interior. The F22 is 264mm longer than its predecessor, which contributes 100mm to the cabin length. Donkervoort says another result of this is a more streamlined body with better aerodynamic stability, indeed the angle of the windscreen has been flattened for less drag.
Mounted far back in that long nose (so far back Donkervoort says the F22 is a front mid-engined car) is a five-cylinder turbocharged engine. It’s the same 2.5-litre unit found in the 395bhp Audi TT RS, but in the F22 it’s been tuned to 500bhp. 0-62mph is dealt with in under 2.6 seconds and the top speed is 180mph.
All that power is sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission with rev-matching technology – which drivers can manually turn off. Donkervoort says it chose a five-speed gearbox because of inherent lightness and the F22’s readily-available torque. As you’d expect, at the rear there’s a limited-slip differential and also an adjustable traction control system.
The F22 weighs just 750kg – making it almost half the weight of a Ferrari 296 GTB, but still 55kg heavier than the D8. Donkervoort has achieved this by constructing a tubular chassis mainly from carbon-fibre – helping to deliver a 100 per cent increase in torsional rigidity.
“The key to everything we do is weight.” Donkervoot says, “ The less weight you carry, the less weight you have to stop, turn and accelerate, and the less fuel you use and the more intimate the car can be.”
A new active shock absorber system has been developed for the F22, which means you can adjust the ride height and damper stiffness on the move. The brakes are steel discs with four-piston front calipers, Donkervoort claims they’re 10kg lighter than the ones found on the D8. The wheels can also be specified in standard alloy, forged steel or carbon fibre.
Donkervoort says the F22 is available from €245,000 in Europe before taxes and that those who missed out on an allocation for the F22 will be considered for the car’s successor.
Now read our review of the new Lotus Emira…
Keyword: New Donkervoort F22 arrives with 500bhp weighing 750kg