While the industry fixates on electric crossovers and autonomous driving aids, Donkervoort persists in building cars that seem almost willfully anachronistic lightweight, brutally focused machines that prioritize sensation over comfort, involvement over assistance. The P24 RS represents the Dutch marque's latest thesis on what a driver's car should be, and it's making some bold claims about where the performance envelope actually lies.
Less is Exponentially More
The P24 RS emerges from Donkervoort's 45-year history of producing Lotus Seven-inspired roadsters, but this is no simple retread of Colin Chapman's original formula. Where other manufacturers chase headline power figures, Donkervoort has pursued an almost obsessive focus on the power-to-weight ratio. The result is a car that tips the scales at just 700 kilograms roughly half the weight of a Mazda MX-5, and less than a third of what a Porsche 911 Turbo carries.
This isn't achieved through exotic materials alone, though the P24 RS does employ carbon fiber extensively throughout its tubular chassis construction. The monocoque structure uses what Donkervoort terms "EX-CORE" technology a carbon composite developed in conjunction with the Technical University of Delft. This material delivers a torsional rigidity figure of 50,000 Nm per degree, extraordinary for an open-topped car. For context, that's approaching the structural stiffness of modern supercars with fixed roofs.
The Audi-Sourced Five-Cylinder: Character Over Efficiency
Power comes from a heavily modified version of Audi's turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine, the same fundamental architecture found in the RS3 and TT RS. But where Audi tunes this engine for everyday usability and emissions compliance, Donkervoort has extracted 530 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 640 Nm of torque. Those figures alone don't tell the complete story it's the delivery and the acoustic signature that matter here.
The five-cylinder configuration produces an off-beat firing order that creates a distinctive exhaust note, something between a four-cylinder's rasp and a six-cylinder's smoothness. In the P24 RS, this translates to what Autocar described as "an industrial symphony that builds from a mechanical rumble to a screaming crescendo." The turbocharger spools with minimal lag, a consequence of the aggressive tuning and the lack of catalytic converters this is very much a track-focused specification.
The transmission is a five-speed manual gearbox, not the six- or seven-speed units that have become standard elsewhere. Donkervoort managing director Denis Donkervoort has defended this choice, explaining that the ratios are precisely calibrated for the engine's powerband and the car's intended use. There's no synchromesh on first gear a deliberate decision to save 1.2 kilograms.
Performance Metrics That Defy Belief
The acceleration figures read like misprints. Donkervoort claims 0-100 km/h in 2.5 seconds, with 0-200 km/h arriving in just 7.5 seconds. These are hypercar numbers, achieved without all-wheel drive, without launch control systems, without any of the electronic intervention that typically enables such performance. It's purely a function of mass or rather, the absence of it.
Top speed is quoted at 290 km/h, though one suspects aerodynamic efficiency isn't the priority here. The P24 RS generates up to 1.98 g in lateral acceleration, according to the manufacturer's testing, conducted at Circuit Zandvoort. This is where the car's true focus reveals itself not in straight-line speed, but in the ability to carry velocity through corners.
The suspension uses double wishbones front and rear, with pushrod-actuated dampers similar to those found in single-seater racing cars. Spring rates are exceptionally firm this isn't a car that cossets or isolates. Damping is manually adjustable across 36 settings, allowing drivers to fine-tune behavior for specific circuits or road conditions. Tire specification runs to 245/35 R19 at the front and 295/30 R20 at the rear, fitted to forged aluminum wheels that weigh just 5.3 kilograms each.
The Driving Experience: Unfiltered and Unforgiving
Evo magazine's Richard Meaden sampled the P24 RS at Assen and reported that "the steering precision borders on telepathic, transmitting every texture through your palms." This is a recurring theme in early reviews the car provides a level of feedback that most modern machinery has engineered out in pursuit of refinement.
There's no power steering assistance. The rack is mounted directly to the front suspension, eliminating the compliance and damping that intermediate columns introduce. The steering ratio is unusually quick at 2.1 turns lock-to-lock, which means small corrections at the wheel translate to immediate directional changes. For experienced drivers, this creates an intimate connection between intention and action. For the unprepared, it demands constant attention and adaptation.
The brake system uses AP Racing calipers gripping 330mm discs, with a deliberately firm pedal calibrated to provide precise modulation rather than maximum initial bite. ABS is present but recalibrated to allow threshold braking techniques it intervenes later than typical road car systems. There's no stability control, no traction management beyond the driver's right foot.
Interior: Function Over Fashion
The cockpit is spartan, even by the standards of track-focused machinery. Carbon fiber racing seats are fixed in position, with the pedal box adjustable to accommodate different driver sizes. The dashboard houses essential gauges coolant temperature, oil pressure, boost pressure along with a central tachometer that redlines at 7,000 rpm. There's no infotainment screen, no climate control, no navigation system.
A removable steering wheel facilitates entry and exit, necessary given the tight confines and fixed seating. The wheel itself is a flat-bottomed Alcantara-wrapped unit measuring just 300mm in diameter, again borrowed from racing practice. All switchgear is machined from billet aluminum toggle switches for ignition, lights, and the electric water pump that assists cooling during low-speed running.
Weight distribution sits at 42% front, 58% rear slightly tail-biased to encourage rotation under power. The fuel tank holds just 40 liters, positioned low and ahead of the rear axle to maintain optimal mass centralization.
Market Positioning and Production Reality
Donkervoort will build just 24 examples of the P24 RS, priced at approximately €375,000 before local taxes. This positions it firmly in supercar territory financially, though the experience it offers diverges entirely from what Ferrari or McLaren provides. There's no pretense of daily usability here the P24 RS is explicitly a car for driving enthusiasts with access to private roads or circuit time.
Car and Driver noted that this unapologetic focus has attracted a specific clientele, observing that "buyers tend to own multiple vehicles and view the Donkervoort as the antidote to increasingly isolated modern performance cars." Several customers already own previous Donkervoort models, suggesting brand loyalty built on delivering a particular philosophy consistently.
The Broader Context: Anachronism or Authenticity?
The P24 RS arrives at an interesting inflection point. The automotive industry pursues electrification, assisted driving, and ever-increasing vehicle mass to accommodate safety structures and battery packs. Regulations push manufacturers toward homogenization. Against this backdrop, a 700-kilogram car with no electronic aids and a turbocharged five-cylinder engine feels almost confrontational.
Yet there's legitimate engineering thought behind this approach. The physics of lightweight construction remain undeniable reducing mass improves acceleration, braking, handling, and efficiency simultaneously. A lighter car requires smaller brakes, which reduces unsprung weight, which improves suspension response. The benefits cascade through every dynamic element.
Whether this represents a sustainable business model is another question entirely. Donkervoort's production volumes hover around 50 cars annually hardly a threat to mainstream manufacturers, but viable for a specialized operation with low overhead and a loyal customer base.
Final Assessment: Purity Has Its Price
The Donkervoort P24 RS won't suit everyone. It lacks the comfort, refinement, and all-weather capability that many performance car buyers expect. It demands skill, attention, and commitment from its driver. But for those seeking the most direct connection between intention and mechanical response, it represents a remarkably pure expression of automotive fundamentals.
The question isn't whether this is the definitive driver's car, such declarations are ultimately subjective. Rather, it's whether you value the qualities Donkervoort has prioritized: immediacy, feedback, involvement, and the sensation of controlling a machine that responds to your inputs without intermediary systems softening or correcting your commands. If those attributes resonate, few alternatives offer them as uncompromisingly as the P24 RS.