P24 RS gets a manual and 3D printed intercoolers
PH catches up with Denis Donkervoort on his new sports car, the Dutch firm's fastest ever
The gradual teaser campaign is familiar to the car industry now. Even specialists like Dutch firm Donkervoort aren’t immune. Today sees the dropping of its latest breadcrumb ahead of the winter reveal of the P24 RS, its quickest and most extreme offering yet.
As the pictures attest, it’s another sneaky teaser, but it’s also got PH some time in front of CEO Denis Donkervoort to dig a little deeper. The key news is that the P24 RS has delved into the world of Formula One for a pair of light, bespoke water-charge air coolers. Made with 3D printing, they weigh 1.4kg apiece compared to the 16kg of a conventional intercooler. When the company’s cars teeter around 750 kilos anyway, it’s a notable percentage saving.
The knowhow comes from Conflux, an Australian company founded by Michael Fuller, whose CV includes the Super Aguri, BMW Sauber and Mercedes-AMG F1 teams. Additive manufacturing – aka 3D printing – allows precision manufacturing via the melting of powdered metal and has resulted in dinky devices which slot directly between the turbochargers and throttle bodies. Great for packaging and weight distribution, while a boon for response and efficiency, too.
“Each component is 3D-printed with tailored fin geometry, density and size, grounded in engineering-first principles,” reads the bumf. “Water is cooled through a bespoke external radiator, then redirected to chill the intake air before it enters the combustion chamber. That precision enables consistent, high-performance delivery – under any condition.”
Denis, whose dad Joop Donkervoort founded the company, is delighted with the result. “We pushed our suppliers to think outside of the box and bring us their newest technology to put into this car,” he tells PH. “We gave Conflux our exact specifications and they delivered a solution so effective, we could downsize it from the original prototype.”
What he won’t yet be drawn on is precisely which engine these intercoolers are fitted to. “We have used the Audi five-cylinder for more than a decade,” he tells us. “Once we learned that it was no longer an option, it was very clear that we needed to step up our game to beat it. That engine is still something very special. It's very light, very powerful, it has the right emotion with its sound. But it also has its limitations, right? Audi is a strict company and we wanted to be able to go way more outside the box.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the new engine is another OEM donor unit – just with a heap more bespoke components latched onto it. A pair of billet turbochargers come from Van der Lee, while we can expect the rest of Donkervoort’s collabs to be drip-fed throughout the year. We have gleaned from Denis that a manual gearbox remains intrinsic to his cars’ appeal, though. Goodie.
“We are not going over to hybrid or electric,” he affirms. “We are staying with conventional combustion architecture because we have a car that is very lightweight.” Which means staying manual? “Absolutely. I would never say never to the possibility of an automatic gearbox, but I would agree that a manual needs to remain as well. You as a driver are fully responsible for the car’s performance. While manual maybe isn’t the fastest nowadays, it's definitely the most fun. And that's a very important thing. Our cars are about providing the most fun.
“When you speak about lap times, then we do have our versions with a sequential gearbox. But because of our combination of light weight, high torque and the relatively long ratios we have chosen for our gearbox and differential, you don't need to shift that much anyway.”
Lap times, then: will the P24 RS take Donkervoort back to the Nordschleife to go chasing new records? “The car doesn't yet exist, so it's a bit too early to say if we can achieve such kind of records, but it's definitely going to be the fastest Donkervoort we have built. So that's a record in itself. Our hopes and expectations are high.”
A production mule is testing at the moment; by early summer a full prototype will be in development. The full P24 RS reveal is due in December with customer deliveries by March 2026. Plenty of those will make the move up from an existing Donkervoort.
“Our ambassadors are following us, and we have made them part of our decisions. When we learned that we needed a new drivetrain, for example, we sat at a dinner table brainstorming with them about what they would prefer. This gives you great confidence once you've made a decision that you are going in the right direction.”
What engine would you like to see in there?
I was busy reading their last info online on the Donkervoort website
amazing stuf and parts they have included. incl this latest 3D printed intercoolers, but also those van der Lee special turbo's and their own Carbon EX-core material special stuff also used in the F1 world ala the turbo's and now intercoolers tech
ah, some older info >
https://www.donkervoort.com/en/news/donkervoorts-c...
and yes I'm still looking to buy a D8 GTO-RS when the price ir right and I can get a fair price for my present car... they shift cars other then a Donkervoort through to no brand car dealers, so you don't get much in return for something special not original.. but maybe later in 2025 we already talked about it,
Although for me with only 1.000km a year and 8 to 10 times with my car out (yes shame on me) it would be better to buy a special classic from say 50 years old, then no more stress or must do things like MOT or paying for road tax with so few km a year... but still a Donkervoort ala GTO-RS is high on my list, I fit perfect in that model, ok getting out is a different sport
I was busy reading their last info online on the Donkervoort website
amazing stuf and parts they have included. incl this latest 3D printed intercoolers, but also those van der Lee special turbo's and their own Carbon EX-core material special stuff also used in the F1 world ala the turbo's and now intercoolers tech
ah, some older info >
https://www.donkervoort.com/en/news/donkervoorts-c...
and yes I'm still looking to buy a D8 GTO-RS when the price ir right and I can get a fair price for my present car... they shift cars other then a Donkervoort through to no brand car dealers, so you don't get much in return for something special not original.. but maybe later in 2025 we already talked about it,
Although for me with only 1.000km a year and 8 to 10 times with my car out (yes shame on me) it would be better to buy a special classic from say 50 years old, then no more stress or must do things like MOT or paying for road tax with so few km a year... but still a Donkervoort ala GTO-RS is high on my list, I fit perfect in that model, ok getting out is a different sport
I was busy reading their last info online on the Donkervoort website
amazing stuf and parts they have included. incl this latest 3D printed intercoolers, but also those van der Lee special turbo's and their own Carbon EX-core material special stuff also used in the F1 world ala the turbo's and now intercoolers tech
ah, some older info >
https://www.donkervoort.com/en/news/donkervoorts-c...
and yes I'm still looking to buy a D8 GTO-RS when the price ir right and I can get a fair price for my present car... they shift cars other then a Donkervoort through to no brand car dealers, so you don't get much in return for something special not original.. but maybe later in 2025 we already talked about it,
Although for me with only 1.000km a year and 8 to 10 times with my car out (yes shame on me) it would be better to buy a special classic from say 50 years old, then no more stress or must do things like MOT or paying for road tax with so few km a year... but still a Donkervoort ala GTO-RS is high on my list, I fit perfect in that model, ok getting out is a different sport
I guess they are not really better then the others, just a bit different, more refined? are they worth double the price? yes and no
Maybe they are more rich persons toys who can buy without VAT and owning a famous Dutch car brand? I'm not rich (saved a lot and a heritage) so I'm buying second hand when the price comes down, sinds I don't want to move house anymore, I rather have most of the money in a car I like, then all on the bank in those crazy years and those to come... ok would be better to invest and drive in a useable classic car, but hey, will see what comes first... or not
I guess they are not really better then the others, just a bit different, more refined? are they worth double the price? yes and no
Maybe they are more rich persons toys who can buy without VAT and owning a famous Dutch car brand? I'm not rich (saved a lot and a heritage) so I'm buying second hand when the price comes down, sinds I don't want to move house anymore, I rather have most of the money in a car I like, then all on the bank in those crazy years and those to come... ok would be better to invest and drive in a useable classic car, but hey, will see what comes first... or not
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