The most powerful engine ever seen in a Donkervoort and a radical approach to customization set the new D8 GTO Individual Series apart from every other Donkervoort. It’s Donkervoort demonstrating the peak of its powers as a boutique manufacturer, delivering hypercar performance and personalization at a supercar price point. Customers will be given a stunningly fast, strong D8 GTO Individual Series and a free hand to customize it as much as they like, in whatever direction they prefer. Donkervoorts have always been amongst the most readily customizable supercars in the world, but the D8 GTO Individual Series takes those ideas to extremes with cars that reflect their owners’ personalities and perfectly suit their lifestyles. The base price of this latest addition is €162,900 (excluding VAT and on-road costs). Anybody who drives a Donkervoort has a strong individual streak already, the company have evolved a model that gives them almost totally free control.
The D8 GTO Individual Series is delivered as a base series car with total customer freedom to create a Donkervoort to meet their preferences, whether their needs lean towards the track, touring, design or luxury. The successor to the sold-out D8 GTO-JD70 homage model, the D8 GTO Individual Series has been conceived as a totally customizable Donkervoort – even more than the generous options list usually encourages. Customers can even have individual luggage made for their cars to go with their chosen Donkervoort Wear apparel if they prefer touring, or individual made-to-measure race suits and helmets if they prefer track days. Donkervoort can even customize and create individual pieces for customers if they choose; to help them own a car that perfectly matches their own personalities and preferences. All past Donkervoorts have been offered with a high level of standard equipment and a range of packs, or groups of options that (experience told us) are usually ordered together.
Durability testing has shown the D8 GTO Individual Series is 11km/h faster at the end of the Kemmel Straight at Spa-Francorchamps, cutting 1.4 seconds from JD70’s lap time at the 7km Belgian Grand Prix circuit. It’s also faster. Planned as the final road-going version of the legendary D8 GTO model, the D8 GTO Individual Series will boast a power increase to 435 horsepower, 570Nm of torque and a wider usable power range. But the D8 GTO Individual Series isn’t just a step away from planned equipment “packs” and into the world of true individuality. It marks the first collaboration between Donkervoort’s technical development department and German Audi racers, Abt Sportsline. At the same time, the D8 GTO Individual Series boasts a cleaner look than its predecessors. The nose-cone flaps, the scoops and the 3D printed air outlets have all been removed to create a cleaner design, with the Donkervoort logo moved from the leading edge of the nose to the grille.
The seat options can be comfort oriented, with integrated heating, and range all the way up to full carbon race seats. And, of course, they can be trimmed in whatever colours, patterns and (validated) materials people prefer. Combine the most comfortable seating available, the adjustable electronic power steering system and the wind-protection flap at the top of the windscreen frame and the D8 GTO Individual Series can be a (relatively) relaxed cruiser. The D8 GTO Individual Series bonnet is much smoother than the JD70 version, though the Joop Donkervoort tribute model’s scoops, air outlets and louvres can be returned on request. The D8 GTO Individual Series brakes can be set up as standard, with Tarox wave-form discs all round, or drivers can choose to have the Bosch ABS system wired in for track use. There is even the option of a six-speed sequential gearbox, direct from the JD70 R, and a wide range of safety systems.
German Audi racers Abt Sportsline teamed up with Donkervoort’s development team to deliver the most powerful road-going engine ever put beneath a D8 GTO’s bonnet. Both Abt Sportsline and Donkervoort are hugely experienced in squeezing more reliable horsepower out of the Audi Sport five-cylinder turbocharged petrol motor. The 2.5-litre engine’s specific output has climbed from 167hp/litre to 174 hp/litre. There have been significant hardware modifications to reach the horsepower heights, including alterations to the engine’s cooling systems. Torque remains constant at 560Nm for the 2480cc engine, and the torque peak still arrives early, at 1750rpm and is still punching at its peak at 6350rpm. The powertrain incorporates most of the upgrades introduced on the JD70 and some from the JD70 R, including its catalyst system, with its side-exit exhaust, and its standard particulate filter. Surprisingly, the power surge has not come at the expense of economy, with the D8 GTO Individual Series registering 191 grams/km of CO2 emissions on the WLTP cycle, and eight litres of fuel consumption/100km.
