Donkervoort D8
Meet the Donkervoort D8. You may never have heard of it, but we bet you can guess what it's based on by looking at the long bonnet and tiny, door-less cabin.
It may not come to the UK, but the D8 has the power to excite enthusiasts everywhere. Yet the Dutch-built Caterham copy is not as good as the original, and the astronomic price means only the very wealthy will be interested.
Meet the Donkervoort D8. You may never have heard of it, but we bet you can guess what it's based on by looking at the long bonnet and tiny, door-less cabin.
Yes, this is a copy of a Caterham Seven. So where's it from? Well, Joop Donkervoort used to import Caterhams into the Netherlands before striking out on his own 25 years ago. The latest D8 (it couldn't be called D7 for legal reasons) weighs 630kg and is powered by Audi's 1.8-litre turbo engine. But with this Sport model producing 207bhp and 320Nm at 4,000rpm, it's faster than any car wearing four rings.
The turbo whistles away and sends the two-seater racing from 0-60mph in a fraction more than four seconds. Power is delivered over a broad range, but as the boost arrives suddenly, you can't take any liberties with the throttle - especially as the Donkervoort does not feel as well honed as a Caterham. Our model was softly set-up and didn't have the Brit's whip-crack responses.
And forget about cars being cheaper in Europe. The left-hand-drive Donkervoort driven here costs the same as a Porsche 911. Prices start at £40,000 for the 150bhp base model and rise to more than £62,000 for the car we tried.
