Joop Donkervoort, the founder of the Dutch car brand of the same name, is stepping down. As of January 1, son Denis Donkervoort fulfills the role of Managing Director at the company.
Joop Donkervoort (71) founded the Donkervoort brand in 1978. Initially, the car, which resembles the Lotus Super Seven, was built behind his house in Tienhoven, but later the company moved to Loosdrecht. Since 2000, Donkervoort has been located in a striking building along the A6 near Lelystad.
The cars also increasingly got their own look, both optically and under the skin. A modern Donkervoort still has the basic shapes of the original, but is at the same time larger, more advanced and a lot more modern. The philosophy was allowed to remain: a Donkervoort should be as light as possible and driving pleasure always comes first at the brand. New versions or ‘special editions’ of the current D8 GTO appear annually. In June, for example, we were introduced to the D8 GTO-JD70, in honor of – you guessed it – Joop’s 70th birthday. An even heavier R version has now also been released. Every Donkervoort is quite exclusive: a total of nearly 1,500 units have been built since 1978.
“My father has worked on this all his life and achieved incredible and admirable things during that time,” Denis Donkervoort (33) praises his predecessor. As is often the case with founders, Joop’s ‘retirement’ does not mean that he will disappear completely from the scene. The founder will continue to play a role on the brand’s Advisory Board and share his expertise and vision. In addition, Joop Donkervoort hopes to share his knowledge and experience outside the company.