Donkervoort F22
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Shaping the future and carrying the legacy
The next era
Donkervoort has destroyed the modern supercar rulebook with the long-awaited arrival of the ground-breaking Donkervoort F22.
The all-new Donkervoort F22 supercar sets new supercar standards in speed, handling, driving purity, design 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.
Chassis engineering
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.
The new dampers include an adjustable hydraulic ride-height system, which can raise or lower the F22 by as much as 35mm.
Technical specifications
Dimensions and interior
The all-new Donkervoort F22 has grown up in most dimensions. Yet its overall weight remains convincingly below 800kg, making it by far the lightest machine in the supercar sector.
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 panels on either side of a removable central Exs-Core carbon-fibre bar. The roof panels can be removed with three manual latches and can be stored in a matching bag to fit the luggage compartment.
The central bar can be detached via an electronically powered button, as can the front-hinged bonnet.
Design
The longer, sleeker, more aggressive-looking F22 pays tribute to Donkervoort’s history while laying down a design marker for its future. Some of the highlights of the design include a new three-piece Twin Targa carbon-fibre removable roof, the retention of an open-wheel layout and a more spacious, comfortable interior. Most of the switches move to the steering wheel, while the cleaner dash design features an optional integrated iPad Mini infotainment system.
Five years in the making, the F22’s design comes from a collaboration between Donkervoort Technical Director Jordi Wiersma, Managing Director Denis Donkervoort and Ford of Europe Design Director Amko Leenarts. While Wiersma has long driven design and innovation at Donkervoort, Leenarts is a long-term Donkervoort fan, and also sits on the Donkervoort’s four-person Advisory Board.
The result is a more modern interpretation of the legendary open front-wheel design philosophy, beloved of traditional Donkervoort buyers, that also opens the door to new strata of speed and sophistication Donkervoort. The extra length over its predecessor has been used to sculpt a slipperier aerodynamic surface for the four-metre F22, helping it to faster track times with added aerodynamic stability. It has also added 100mm to the interior length, making the F22 comfortable for taller drivers.
“We made use of Ex-Core and add strength and created a really integrated design that links to our heritage while advancing the F22’s design,” Wiersma said. “We tried to make something much more modern and integrated, with elements from the past so that the design was completely new and modern, while also referencing our long heritage. “The Twin Targa roof system is all new, and it adds a lot for Donkervoort drivers, and it also adds bending rigidity to the chassis.”
The front end is entirely new, and Donkervoort has a unique process for its rear lights that span the rear wings of the F22, certifying each tail light individually. There is far more rake on the windscreen, with its Ex-Core carbon-fibre frame than on any previous Donkervoort, and it is integrated deeply into the chassis itself for added strength and visible cohesion.
The F22 has design references from the legendary Donkervoort GT hard top, which was the first Donkervoort Wiersma worked on. “The GT was my first car, and we thought about the great things on that car, like the wings over the rear wheels and the hard-top roof. The Twin Targa gives us the best of both worlds, with the ability to be a coupe and a roadster. “We also took the wings over the wheels from the GT to give us a better aerodynamic profile for the air behind the wheel and a stronger stance at the rear.”
Safety
The Donkervoort F22’s safety integrity has moved the game on for ultra-lightweight supercars, both its active and passive safety.
“Our data showed 98% of our buyers chose the optional six-point harness over the standard three-point harness for their D8 GTO-JD70s, so we worked with our supplier to certify a new six-point harness for all types of use.”
The F22 also integrates ultra-strong Ex-Core sandwich-construction carbon-fibre segments with tube-steel sections in hybrid chassis construction.
Not coincidentally, the majority of the Ex-Core pieces are found around the cabin, including the windscreen frame, the side panels, the doors, the undertray and the reinforcing bar for the Twin Targa roof.
The astonishing strength of the chassis, with double the torsional and bending rigidity of its predecessor, combines with the six-point harnesses to help the F22 meet all relevant crash regulations without the need for weighty airbags.
Customization and Ownership
The Donkervoort F22 is inarguably the most driver-focused supercar money can buy, with a uniquely pure level of driver involvement.
The F22 also opens the door to the world of hypercar customization, but at a supercar price position.
There are core choices to make for F22 buyers, including whether they prefer a steering system with no servo assistance or a lightweight, electronically powered, adjustable power-assistance system.
There is a choice between an electrically powered air conditioning system or the slight weight advantage that comes without it.
There are other driver-choice options, like a Bosch ABS system for those who frequently enjoy track days.
Beyond that, even the smallest detail of the F22 can be customized, from one-off paintwork and interior design to embossing the owner’s initials or business logo into the seat trims.
Another key point with ownership is the incredible longevity, and repairability of Donkervoorts means more than 99 percent of all Donkervoorts ever built are still on the road as appreciating assets.
Family Name
Following the family tradition, the F22 is named after Filippa, as the first child of Donkervoort Managing Director Denis Donkervoort.
The Donkervoort S8A and the S8AT were both named for Amber Donkervoort, the daughter of Donkervoort founder Joop Donkervoort.
The “D” from the D10 lineage onwards came from Denis Donkervoort, who is now Donkervoort’s Managing Director.