Powerful and more usable
Meet Donkervoort’s latest powerhouse. This is the Donkervoort F22, a 500 hp powerful fun machine that weighs only 750 kilos and, although its origin suggests otherwise, is also relatively practical.
Donkervoort is known for its lightweight Spartan powerhouses and the new F22 can also be characterized as such. With its front wheels placed outside the body and thin long snout, the Donkervoort F22 is immediately recognizable as a Donkervoort, despite the fact that the front looks different than you are used to from Donkervoort models. In the front is another machine and Audi and again that is a 2.5 TFSI. That five-cylinder petrol engine helps the Donkervoort F22 to produce 500 hp and 640 Nm, forces that are sent to the rear wheels via a manual five-speed gearbox. Excuse me, a five-speed? Secure. According to Donkervoort, a five-speed gearbox saves 12 kilograms in weight compared to a six- or seven-speed gearbox. The transmission has rev matching-technology and so the speed of the engine is synchronized with that of the gearbox when the clutch is disengaged, so that the gear shifting process is optimal.
The F22, named after the daughter of Dennis Donkervoort (Filippa), who was born in ’22, has a limited slip differential, adjustable traction control and an active chassis. The ride height can be increased or decreased by 3.5 centimeters. Donkervoort – which has been working on the F22 for 5 years – has built its newcomer around a tube chassis and has of course made extensive use of materials such as aluminum and carbon fibre. The more than 4 meters long, 1.9 meters wide and only 1.1 meters high F22 must therefore be twice as stiff as the D8 GT Individual Series. That is promising. The Dutch extremist, weighing only 750 kilos, must be able to handle up to 2.15 g of lateral forces.
Donkervoort F22, complete with digital instruments and an iPad Mini.
A striking detail is the Twin Targa roof. The roof of the Donkervoort F22 consists of two removable roof panels made of carbon fiber and a removable beam (T-Bar). The removable panels fit in the luggage compartment. Although you may suspect otherwise after reading the above, the F22 is still quite practical. At least, for a Donkervoort. The luggage compartment swallows 298 liters of stuff, the D8 GTO stuck at 240 liters. In addition, the F22 also offers 8 centimeters more shoulder room in the interior and 10 centimeters more space in the length. The interior itself is also different from that of Donkervoorts. The Donkervoort F22 has, among other things, an iPad Mini as an infotainment system and a digital set of instruments. Almost all functions can be controlled via the steering wheel.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl