F22

Introduced in 2022 as successor to the D8 GTO, the Donkervoort F22 represents the latest iteration of a design philosophy the Dutch manufacturer has pursued since the 1970s: the pursuit of performance through the systematic elimination of weight, rather than through the accumulation of power. The car pairs an Audi-sourced 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine, tuned to approximately 500 horsepower, with a dry weight of just 750 kilograms, a combination yielding a power-to-weight ratio of 666 hp per tonne, a figure that exceeds that of contemporary hypercars several times its price. This achievement is made more notable by the fact that it was accomplished without recourse to hybrid or electric assistance, technologies which, whatever their performance benefits, generally impose a considerable weight penalty that Donkervoort's engineers were evidently unwilling to accept. Positioned within the broader landscape of high-performance road cars, the F22 occupies a curious and sadly somewhat isolated category. It shares certain affinities with other minimalist British and continental marques—Ariel, Caterham, and KTM among them—in its prioritisation of chassis rigidity and driver engagement over comfort or refinement. Yet its sheer performance and carbon-fibre construction place it in more direct rivalry with established supercar manufacturers, against whose products it is frequently, and favourably, compared on the basis of weight alone. Produced only in strictly limited numbers, the F22 might best be understood not as a challenger to mainstream supercar orthodoxy, but as a demonstration of an alternative engineering philosophy: one in which lightness, rather than horsepower, remains the decisive variable. In this respect, it continues to occupy a distinctive niche within the contemporary performance-car market.

Our Example

This example is offered directly from Donkervoort exclusively via Schaltkulisse. The car has just 1,000 km on the odometer and is therefore in almost ‘as new’ condition. Thanks to extremely limited production every Donkervoort is a bespoke commission for the person ordering the car. This example has a particularly imposing specification which also incorporates a couple of small nods towards usability, including electric air-conditioning and electric power steering for low-speed manoeuvres, both chosen for the weight saving advantage over conventional systems, but which make the car genuinely usable for longer road journeys.