Donkervoort S7 History
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This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
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The S7 was Joop Donkervoort's debut car, introduced in 1978 after he set out to improve on the Lotus Super Seven concept he had admired as a teenager. Built in a small workshop in Tienhoven, it used a 1.6-litre Ford Crossflow OHV engine producing around 90 PS, paired with a four-speed manual gearbox.
Lightweight and raw, the S7 established Donkervoort's founding philosophy of minimum weight and maximum driver involvement — a 'No Compromise' ethos that would define every model that followed. Production ran from 1978 to 1982, with a later variant also offered with a 2.0-litre Ford OHC engine.
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