Donkervoort D8 GTO-JD70 2020 review

Latest emissions regulations mean the engine now has a petrol particulate filter. This mutes the exhaust sound so much that there’s no need for a big muffler under the boot floor, so the exhaust exits at the side. This in turn creates room under the boot – whose contents no longer get cooked, happily – for a diffuser, while there are louvres in the front cycle wings to ease frontal lift. 

Donkervoort cars have become gradually, and to these eyes attractively, ever more aerodynamic over the years, to the extent that the JD70’s top speed is now 174mph.

Some 415bhp probably helps in this respect, too – a mammoth amount for a little car. This drives through a five-speed manual gearbox with relatively long ratios (the five-pot is a torquey engine that became only more flexible with the latest emissions-related update) and a limited-slip differential. There’s also adjustable traction control, optional ABS and optional power-assisted steering. 

The Nankang AR-1 tyres (235/47 R17 on the front and 245/40 R18 on the rear and the same variety that Jonathan Palmer fits to the Caterhams at his Motorsport Vision operation) are said to be capable of holding 2G laterally, but we won’t get them hot enough to try that today. 

It doesn’t matter, because the JD70 gives you plenty to do and enjoy all the time. It rides pretty well, thunking over expansion joints but otherwise with good composure. The five-speed ’box has a heavy but very short and precise throw, while the pedal weights and positions are great too. Some low-volume makers get this sort of ergonomic thing wrong: Donkervoort isn’t one of them.

It’s blindingly quick. Peak torque is 413lb ft, developed from 1750-6350rpm, while peak power arrives from 5850rpm and is claimed to hang around until the 7000rpm hard limiter. If there’s turbo lag, it doesn’t have much inertia to overcome, so it’s easily boostily responsive at low revs and thumpingly, wildly fast further up the rev range. In its upper echelons, the five-cylinder offbeat is pleasingly audible, too; it’s less notable at low revs, because of gear whine and general exhaust chatter. 

And this car handles. The Audi five isn’t the lightest engine ever fitted to a two-seat roadster, so the steering always remains beefy, and I know that a Caterham or Ariel would feel more fingertip-agile. But the JD70 turns willingly and grips well, even on cool tyres, before nudging into steady state understeer and then, with only modest throttle, pushing its tail wide quickly but predictably and entirely naturally and controllably. 

I didn’t get too carried away; cars with steering this heavy take quite a lot of catching, and I didn’t fancy explaining to the Donkervoort family why their old man’s car was nose-upwards in a drainage ditch. But it’s a hell of a lot of fun and thoroughly sorted.