DonkervoortF22

The all-new Donkervoort F22 supercar sets new supercar standards in design, speed, cornering muscle and everyday usability while retaining strong visual links to the Dutch supercar brand’s open-wheel heritage.

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.

With the F22, Donkervoort has rethought what was possible in a 750kg supercar by doubling its torsional rigidity to deliver well over 2G of lateral acceleration.

With almost 500 horsepower from its Abt Sportsline-tuned five-cylinder turbo motor, the rear-drive F22 delivers an astonishing power-to-weight ratio of 666hp per tonne.

It has enough raw speed to burst to 100km/h in just 2.5 seconds, and it will explode from zero to 200km/h in well under nine seconds. With no speed limiter, the F22 reaches a top speed of around 290km/h.

And, in keeping with family tradition, the Donkervoort F22 is named for Managing Director Denis Donkervoort’s first daughter, Filippa, who was born on May 22, 2022.

Still, the most driver-focused, rear-drive supercar money can buy, the Donkervoort F22s will be sold everywhere from North America to the Middle East and Europe, starting at €245,000 in European markets, including preparation costs, but excluding plus taxes and on-road costs.

The F22 is almost sold out pre-launch after overwhelming interest from the Donkervoort Ambassador program, which has prompted Donkervoort to take the unprecedented step of opening up its interest-registration program for both the remaining F22 models and its successors.

The in-line engine, originally built by Audi Sport and tuned for even more power, torque and drivability by Donkervoort and Abt Sportsline, boasts almost 500 horsepower – in a machine weighing less than 800kg.

The F22 development had an extreme obsession – even by Donkervoort standards – with keeping its weight below 800kg as it grew physically larger to accommodate tastes and rules on three continents.

The potent engine was one of the key advantages in the weight-saving campaign, with Donkervoort choosing to avoid the hundreds of kilograms a hybrid or electric powertrain would have added.

This has not hampered the fuel efficiency of the F22, with the bigger, faster, stronger Donkervoort posting a WLTP combined emissions figure of 163 grams of CO2 per kilometer, which is just 30 fewer than its 695kg predecessor.

A favourite of Donkervoort owners, the five-cylinder engine has been further developed by Donkervoort and Abt Sportsline and retains its original 2480cc capacity.

The bore and stroke are unchanged, with an 82.5mm bore and a 92.8mm stroke, and it runs a 10.0:1 compression ratio to deliver a mountain of torque from very low in the rev range.

Besides saving more than 12kg over a six- or seven-speed gearbox, the F22 utilises the packaging and weight-distribution advantages of the much shorter gearbox.

The short-throw gearbox utilizes Bosch rev-matching technology as standard, which comes complete with the ability to be switched off so drivers can utilize their own heel-and-toe skills.

It mates to a taut limited-slip differential, encased in a new diff housing that does not require an optional additional cooling system, even for concentrated track work. The new housing is stronger and also helps to minimise driveline noise into the passenger compartment.

It also retains the multi-step traction-control system, which can be adjusted via a knob in the centre of the dashboard to suit the driver’s mood or the road conditions.

But, critically, the F22 adds an entirely new dimension of day-to-day livability and versatility when it is not being driven to the outer limits of its mountainous abilities.

The chassis is a hybrid of tubular steel, aluminium and a generous serving of Donkervoort’s renowned carbon-fibre abilities, including the breakthrough Ex-Core carbon sandwich system.

The result is a body-in-white with a 100-percent boost in torsional and bending rigidity over the outgoing D8 GTO Individual Series, and commensurate increases in both active and passive safety as well.

This ultra-stiff core chassis delivers a quantum leap in accuracy, while it also introduces a new active shock absorber system to deliver during the calmest and most frenzied extremes of a driver’s demands.

It also brings a new AP Racing braking system into play, too, with a four-piston front caliper setup on steel discs, saving 10kg over the already-light system on the outgoing car.

Just as critically, the braking performance has improved by 120 percent over the outgoing D8 GTO Individual Series system.

After using the Nankang AR-1 on its predecessor, Donkervoort built on the relationship with its official tyre supplier by developing custom tyres for the ultra-lightweight F22.

While alloy wheels are standard equipment, the F22 can be fitted with either forged rims or carbon-fibre rims, both of which save weight and add rigidity. 

The standard alloy rim is 12kg, the forged alloy weighs 8kg per wheel, while the carbon-fibre rims are just 5,4kg per wheel.

The Donkervoort F22 has grown to more than four metres in overall length, and it is 1.9 metres wide and 1.1 metres high, making it longer, wider and taller than its predecessor.

The two-door F22 has a significantly larger cabin, with the extra 80mm of shoulder width and 100mm of length almost all given over, creating a more comfortable interior.

The completely new interior uses custom-designed, lightweight Recaro seats and the first six-point harnesses approved both for racing and road use.

The Twin Targa uses two carbon-fibre roof plates on either side of a removable central carbon-fibre bar. Each plate contains its own small spoiler for high-speed stability and noise reduction, and they can be removed with three manual latches.

The central bar can be detached via an electronically powered button, as can the front-hinged bonnet.