You may not be especially familiar with Dutch firm Donkervoort, but you certainly know about the engine it uses: the iconic 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo motor from the Audi RS3. Unfortunately, even boutique automakers must deal with the march of time, and as the five-pot heads toward extinction, Donkervoort is celebrating the end of an era with a five-unit special edition called the F22 Final Five.
Donkervoort Automobielen BV
Donkervoort was founded in 1978, initially producing its ultra-lightweight hand-built cars with Ford engines before switching to Audi power in 1996. The company’s motto is “No Compromise,” which is why you won’t find any electronic aids like anti-lock brakes or power steering in its cars.
Like the regular Donkervoort F22 revealed in 2022, this special edition produces up to 492 horsepower and 472 lb-ft of torque, all of which goes to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission with flat-foot shifting and automatic rev-matching. The difference is that the Final Five variant is considerably lighter, and therefore considerably more visceral.
75 Lbs Lighter
The Final Five gets Donkervoort’s Bare Naked Carbon bodywork option, which was already available for the regular car. Here, it’s combined with a set of carbon-ceramic brakes that save 5.5 lbs of unsprung mass on each corner. There’s also a titanium exhaust that shaves another 8.8 lbs, contributing to a total weight saving of 74.95 lbs. The car now weighs just 1,578 lbs, making even an MX-5 Miata look fat, and Donkervoort claims 0-62 mph in just 2.5 seconds, 0-124 mph in 7.5 seconds, and a top speed of 180 mph.
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Donkervoort claims up to 2.3 G of lateral acceleration in corners, up from 2.15 G, but the basic equipment is the same, with TracTive adaptive dampers and a Torsen limited-slip differential. The carbon fiber wheels, measuring 18×8 inches in front and 19×10 inches at the rear, are wrapped in specially developed Nankang AR1 rubber (235/40 in front; 275/35 at the rear).
Sold Out, But Something New Is Coming Soon
The F22 was initially intended to be limited to 75 units, but Donkervoort ultimately decided to make 100 thanks to plenty of demand. All of these are already sold out, and the Final Five is part of the 100-unit production run, so you can’t buy one; the Final Five treatment is only available to specially selected customers who have not yet taken delivery of their F22s. Those who are lucky enough to own one of these will have spent €315,000, or roughly $331,995 at the time of writing.
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As for what the future holds now that the five-cylinder is no longer viable, Donkervoort seems very confident. “Soon, the exclusive club of hypercar brands will have something new to worry about and, for you, something new to dream about,” promises the niche manufacturer, adding that the new arrival is “not electric, nor is it a multimillion-dollar car.” We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.
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- One Of The Last 5-Cylinder Cars In Existence Is Losing Its Iconic Engine
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