Donkervoort D8 History

The D8 debuted in 1993 as a more refined successor to the S8AT, initially powered by Ford's Zetec four-cylinder in 1.8 and 2.0-litre forms. A turbocharged D8 Cosworth variant (1995–1998) used the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth's YB engine producing 220–280 hp, reaching 235 km/h in a car weighing barely 550 kg.

A chance meeting at the Nürburgring 24 Hours led to Donkervoort partnering with Audi: from 1999 the D8 received Audi's 1.8T four-cylinder engine (150–210 hp), and a revised wide-track body arrived for 2004 with electronic throttle. In 2007 came the D8 GT, Donkervoort's first closed car, featuring butterfly doors and a hardtop body available in up to 270 hp tune; it was limited to around 50 cars per year.

The D8 270 RS — later standardized as a production variant — delivered 270 hp from the Audi engine, enabling a sub-1:10 production-car lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife that attracted international attention. D8 series production ended in 2012 as the entirely new GTO generation took over.