The lightweight sports car can reach 60mph in about 2.5 seconds, but demands the driver’s full attention.
The Donkervoort P24 RS combines qualities that rarely come together: extreme acceleration and an unusually analogue driving experience. In a City A.M. review, the author describes a lightweight roadster with up to 600 horsepower, capable of reaching 60 mph in about 2.5 seconds and pulling 2.4G in corners. Yet the car also attracts attention at every fuel stop, where its driver can expect questions from curious strangers.
The Dutch company has built cars since 1978. Founder Joop Donkervoort saw a Lotus Seven during a school trip to Britain and set out to import the model to the Netherlands. When the original could not be homologated for the Dutch market, he redesigned it. The P24 RS retains that back-to-basics idea through its exposed front wheels, front engine, rear-wheel drive and manual gearbox.
Earlier Donkervoorts used Ford engines before the company switched to Audi power in 1999. The P24 RS returns to Ford with a 3.5-litre V6 from the Ford GT. A dial selects Comfort, Touring or Performance output of 400, 500 or 600 horsepower. Dry weight is 780 kilograms, or about 840 kilograms with fluids. For comparison, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS has 525 horsepower and weighs about 1,450 kilograms.
Donkervoort plans to build 150 P24 RS cars, 100 painted and 50 in exposed carbon fibre. It is the first model offered in right-hand drive, which sales officer Quentin Mond said could open markets such as Britain, Japan and Australia. The body and front subframe use Ex-Core, the company’s material that sandwiches expanding foam between carbon-fibre layers. Donkervoort-developed technology is also licensed to several Formula One teams.
The car uses double-wishbone suspension and Tractive adaptive dampers, removing the need for anti-roll bars. It rides on 18-inch forged front wheels and 19-inch rears with bespoke Nankang semi-slick tyres. Anti-lock brakes, air conditioning and power steering are optional. The reviewer says the car demands attention: it has no stability control, a low seating position, a narrow footwell and largely mechanical controls.
Comfort and Touring modes reveal the car’s power progressively. The five-speed gearbox has long ratios, and the V6 sounds forceful and industrial rather than melodic. Performance mode delivers acceleration that is difficult to use on public roads, particularly without electronic stability systems. In return, the direct steering, low weight and mechanical differential make the driver feel closely connected to the car.
Despite its uncompromising character, the P24 RS is presented as a road car. The boot holds 298 litres, and Mond says some owners use a Donkervoort as their only vehicle. UK sales are due to begin in 2028, Donkervoort’s 50th anniversary, at £302,400. An optional aero package costs £17,000 and adds up to 180 kilograms of downforce. A suspension lift kit costs £7,660.