Donkervoort today announced the name of its next model, and it will be called the F22. Set to replace the D8 GTO, the new model promises to be a “supercar” that “has been developed with hypercar technology.”
The news may be complicated for fans of Donkervoort’s breed of small, lightweight sports cars. The F22 will be bigger, faster, and more powerful. While the latter two sound great, bigger might make fans of the Lotus Super 7-inspired track toy a little less excited.
Indeed, the F22 promises to be an altogether different vehicle that is a friendlier road car with “more comfort, interior space, and user-friendliness” than its predecessor. Fortunately, despite that, it will still weigh “a lot” less than 1,000 kg (2,204 lbs).
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F22. You'll never see it coming. It will be worth the weight.#donkervoort #donkervoortf22 #f22 pic.twitter.com/rndSrE5nZ5
— Donkervoort (@donkervoort) October 13, 2022
Donkervoort started out with the intention of building Lotus Super 7s in the Netherlands, but its first car, the S7, was a significantly modified version of that car. Following a number of other models, the D8 was introduced in 1992 on an entirely new chassis. By 2011, the automaker introduced the D8 GTO, which featured distinct design cues and the 2.5-liter inline-five-cylinder engine from the Audi RS3 that pumped out 380 hp (283 kW/385 PS).
Still powered by a 2.5-liter Audi engine, the ABT Sportsline-tuned engine in the latest D8 GTOs now makes 435 hp (325 kW / 442 PS) and 420 lb-ft (570 Nm) of torque. Tipping the scales at just 1,500 lbs (680 kg), it can hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 2.7 seconds, and has a top speed of 178 mph (286 km/h).
The upcoming model, then, will pack on nearly 700 lbs (318 kg), suggesting that there will be significant changes to its design. That design may be inspired by the stealth fighter jet that bears the same name, the F22 Raptor, based on the teaser, in which Donkervoort writes that “You’ll never see it coming.”
Although Donkervoort promises it “will be worth the weight,” it will be interesting to see if Donkervoort abandons the Super 7-inspired design that has defined every one of its vehicles to date.
