The World’s Best-Handling Sports Car Is About to Get a Successor

Donkervoort is already developing its next supercar, less than four years after the F22 debuted, with ambitions to set new performance records.

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Founded in 1978, Donkervoort has long produced track-focused machines inspired by the classic Lotus Seven but enhanced with modern engineering. In 2022, it made its long-awaited entry into the US market with a high-performance D8 GTO variant. That same year, the brand introduced the F22 as its successor—and is now already nearing the debut of a new model, the Donkervoort P24 RS.

The Dutch automaker—renowned for producing some of the world’s best-handling cars, backed by science—confirmed this week that the Donkervoort P24 RS will debut on January 26, 2026. A spokesperson told Harja.Tn that the model was engineered with the brand’s US expansion in mind, with American deliveries set to begin the following September. Eight customers in the US have already secured build slots, and production is fully booked through mid-2027.

Shed a Tear for Audi’s Iconic 5-Cylinder

Donkervoort’s long-running D8 series spanned decades, but the F22 survived only a short time. Its Audi-sourced 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder—shared with cars like the RS3 and the now-discontinued TT RS—is being phased out due to tightening emissions rules. Instead of reworking the F22 around a different engine, Donkervoort opted for a clean-sheet design. CEO Denis Donkervoort describes the upcoming model as an entirely new development from the ground up.

Donkervoort has yet to disclose the P24 RS’s engine, but the company has shared several hints since announcing the model in March. What’s confirmed is that it will be turbocharged. Donkervoort is sourcing the turbochargers from fellow Dutch firm and Formula 1 supplier Van Der Lee, while Australian company Conflux will provide the F1-grade intercoolers.

Conflux leverages 3D printing to produce compact, highly efficient intercoolers. Donkervoort says a 3.1-pound air-to-water unit can match the performance of a traditional 35.3-pound air-to-air setup. The Donkervoort P24 RS is also expected to outperform its predecessor, which delivered 492 horsepower and 472 lb-ft of torque—good for 0–62 mph in 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph.

Lightweight engineering remains fundamental to Donkervoort’s philosophy. The outgoing F22 weighed only 1,650 pounds dry, and the P24 RS is expected to fall within the same remarkably light range. A teaser image reveals a carbon-fiber tub with upward-opening carbon door frames. Donkervoort has developed its own carbon-fiber manufacturing technique, known as Ex-Core, which uses self-heating molds and expanding foam to form the carbon sheets within the mold. The company claims this process reduces production costs by 30% to 50% compared with traditional pre-preg carbon and autoclave methods.

What’s In A Name?

The P24 RS name hints at the performance targets Donkervoort is chasing – and the company says it’s aiming for records. Denis Donkervoort took over the company from his father, Joop, in 2021, making the F22 his first launch. Despite the fighter-jet coincidence, the “F” actually stands for his daughter, Filippa, and “22” marks her birth year. The P24 RS follows the same family tradition, named after his second daughter, Phebe, born in 2024.

As for the RS badge, Donkervoort has reserved it for only two previous models: the D8 270 RS, which commemorated a 7:14.9 Nürburgring production-car lap record in 2006, and the D8 GTO RS, launched in 2016 to celebrate a 1:46.12 lap record set at Germany’s Bilster Berg two years earlier. The company is reviving the RS name for the P24 RS because it believes the new model will be capable of setting records of its own.