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The Donkervoort experience - A visit to the car manufacturer

Name: Donkervoort Super Eight 1985
Brand: Donkervoort

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Created on December 2, 2025

Text:

Wolfram Hamann

Photos:

Wolfram Hamann

Archiv

Wolfram Hamann

Archiv

We are about to enter the showroom - a visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort F22 (2024) - Visit to Donkervoort

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But first a look at the Donkervoort F22 (2024) parked in front of it - Visit to Donkervoort

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Maintenance work and conversions are also carried out at the plant - Visit to Donkervoort

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A look into production - visit to Donkervoort

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Chassis with carbon panels - visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort S7 (1978) - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort S8A (1985) - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort S8 (1989) - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D10 (1991) - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D10 (1991), the upgrade of the Brooklands disk - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D 20 (1998) - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D20 (1998) with six-cylinder engine - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D8 180 (2001) with 180 hp, the color is dark purple - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D8-180 R (2001) as a used vehicle - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D8-180 R (2001) - A visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D8 GT4 (2010), the roof was pushed forward by the regulations - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D8 GT4 (2010) - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D8 GTO-RS (2017) - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort GTO-RS (2017) - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort GTO RS (2017), carbon mirror - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D8 GTO-40 (2020) - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D8 GTO-JD70 (2021) - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D8 GTO-IS (2022) - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort F 22 (2025) - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort F22 (2025) with all options - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort F22 (2025), No. 4 of the last five F22s - Visit to Donkervoort

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Donkervoort D8 (1994) - The proximity to the Lotus Super Seven is unmistakable

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Donkervoort D8 (1994) - Engine compartment

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Donkervoort D8 (1994) - Bonnet with emblem

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Donkervoort D8 (1994) - On the race track

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Donkervoort D8 Cosworth (1994) - With 2.0 instead of 1.8 liters

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Donkervoort Super Eight (1984) - Faithful reissue of the Lotus

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Donkervoort Super Seven (1984) - fulfills a heartfelt wish of many nostalgically inclined sports car fans

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Donkervoort Super Seven and Super Eight (1985) - Also registered in Switzerland since 1982

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Donkervoort Super Seven (1985) - Less weight = more driving pleasure

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Donkervoort Super Seven (1985) - Adventurous

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Donkervoort Super Seven (1985) - Confusingly similar to the Lotus

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Donkervoort Super Seven (1985) - A full-blooded roadster

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Donkervoort Super Seven (1985) - The concept resembles a Morgan

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Donkervoort Super Seven (1985) - Rear with spare wheel

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Donkervoort S8A (1985) - The eye-catching exhaust pipes immediately show where to go

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Donkervoort S8A (1986) - The familiar face of the Lotus Super Seven

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Donkervoort S8A (1986) - Swiss vehicle in the snow

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Caterham Super 7 (1986) - on the right the Donkervoort Super 8 - exhibited in Geneva by Kumschick - Geneva Motor Show 1986

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Donkervoort S8 - Fredy Kumschick explains the car to a young visitor - at the 1984 Geneva Motor Show

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Donkervoort S8A (1985) - revealing cutaway model shows the elaborate frame structure - Geneva Motor Show 1985

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Summary

Donkervoort is a Dutch car manufacturer that specializes in purist roadsters. The first vehicles were derived from the Lotus Super Seven in the 1970s, which today's models are still based on. This report on a visit to the factory in Lelystad/Flevoland shows how they are built.

This article contains the following chapters

Welcome to the Donkervoort factory
The Donkervoort company
Visit to the workshop
Résumé

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The author is well aware that zwischengas.com is a magazine for classic cars. Also that new cars do not really fit in there. But if the roots of the car brand discussed below go back to 1978 and this story might also interest other classic car enthusiasts, perhaps an exception can be made. So off to the Netherlands to visit the Donkervoort plant in Lelystad/Flevoland, a young town with an interesting history. But that would be a topic in itself. As the reporter has been asked several times how he became aware of Donkervoort, here is the answer: he once had the pleasure of driving a Super Seven derivative through the Eifel for a day. Since then, his interest in purist roadsters - i.e. cars in which no part with the prefix "servo" is installed - has been piqued. And anyone who spends a lot of time at motor shows will come across the name Donkervoort at some point anyway. So it makes sense to take a guided tour of the factory.

Welcome to Zwischengas!