Regular readers, occasional readers and those that pick up this magazine at the dentist will know that we love the Audi 1.8T engine. We've devoted pages, days of our time and eulogies normally reserved for returning war heroes to this Ingolstadt powerhouse. But there was always a small problem with it: It came wrapped in too much car.
A big heavy machine will only go so fast, but this engine was always a peach that deserved a brighter, lighter stage to work on. And Donkervoort, a Dutch company based just 30 minutes from Amsterdam, the home of fragrant coffee shops and reasonably priced love, has let the 1.8T run free with a flyweight chassis based on the classic Lotus Seven design. Donkervoort has been in business for 27 years and the D8 210 Sport is the most recent model. With 210 bhp it's tempting to lay it right alongside Caterham's lesser-powered CSR,but a price tag of $85,000 for our test car kind of rules that out. Donkervoort doesn't see Caterham as the real competition; theirs is a Grand Touring Seven, with luggage space and ride quality for genuine road use.
This a sexier looking car from the outside. The nose has an aggressive collection of intakes and the detailing in the polished steel outboard suspension arms and anti-roll bars gives it an evil glint. Then there's the air filter winking through the wire mesh in the bonnet. Each Donkervoort is hand built, using steel tubular spaceframe with copper welds, with its lattice structure comfortingly exposed on the interior and an aluminum and carbon fiber body. The seats are so snug they come with a slot for each leg; this is F1 positioning at least. As for styling, the Biggles-laced leather in our test car didn't really hit the mark, but it's all optional. Donkervoort will do what you want if you have the money to pay for it.
As for the performance gaps, we're talking gnat's whiskers difference between the D8 and the new CSR. The Donkervoort weighs in at 1,680 pounds, scorches to 62 mph in four seconds and tops out at 148 mph, but the way it gets there is a whole different story. It needs to be driven above 3000 rpm for rapid and smooth progress; change up as the boost kicks in and the D8 will bunny hop down the road like a learner on a first lesson. In full flight, though, it's a riot.
A mild chirrup in a heavily insulated saloon turns into Darth Vader with a sinus infection every time the wastegates open on lift-off. Press hard and the shrill sound of a turbo takes over, and an underpass that bounced all 7000 angry revs back at us made our surroundings sound momentarily like a Moto GP race with the bass turned up.
The Audi unit is relatively bulletproof and the performance upgrades, including a new intercooler and oil cooling system, won't worry the internals. At the time of this writing Donkervoort was about to unleash a 270 bhp RS version based on the same unit and exactly the same chassis. The RS, incidentally, is based on the pocket rocket that the Dutch company recently used to slash 15 seconds off the Porsche Carrera GT's hard won production car record at the Nordschleife. Just how "production" that car was remains a moot point, as it came equipped with bigger wings than Batman, but it still went out and destroyed a blank-check motor car.
A five-speed Borg Warner gearbox transmits the power to the road, and kept in boost, the acceleration is predictably electrifying. With no creature comforts and traction control the Dutch company has given the driver every chance to control the car with a long throttle travel and a limited slip diff with 40% locking capability. That saves accidental burnouts at traffic lights and turns a track-honed weapon into a useable weekend road warrior, but drop the gas hard enough from a standing start or into a bend and the 15-inch rear Toyo tires will pop before they grip. A tiny Momo racing wheel feels bolted to the wheels and turn-in is telepathic. It takes some muscle at low speeds, but the payoff in high-speed feel is more than worth it. Lock-to-lock is 3.4 turns, but a quicker 2.7-turn rack is a worthy optional extra as the opposite lock potential of this car is limitless.
Inevitably cars like this step out at the back--that's why we buy them--and the Donkervoort is predictable, smooth and relatively friendly on the limit. Like the Seven it is fun for everyone, and seriously quick in experienced hands. As for the suspension, height and rebound are fully adjustable courtesy of handgrips, you don't need tools to give the tortured sump guard some breathing space on the road. At the track just twist and go with zero body roll.
Donkervoort is now working on an evolved system for the RS with Bilstein, which will be more welcome at dinner parties than the White Power brand it currently employs. Hardened, drilled and grooved Tarox brake discs come unmolested by modern day electronic interference and it's down to you if you want to slow the car sensibly or lock them up and inflict 200 meters worth of tarmac abrasion to one spot of rubber. With a car this light it never feels uncontrolled, and when it needs to it can stop in a heartbeat. Of course, there would be problems with bringing a Donkervoort into the country, including accident repairs. One brave importer could cure that at a stroke, though, and it's easy to see the potential.
It's an expensive bathtub a couple of inches off the deck with an oversized canvas hat on, but the D8 Sport is a hell of a car and the best use for the 1.8T we can think of.
Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive
1.8-liter inline four, dual overhead cams, five valves per cylinder, turbocharged and intercooled
Double wishbone front and rear, coil springs, White adjustable dampers, anti-roll bar (f)
Hardened cross-drilled and grooved rotors
Length x Width x Height (in.): 134 x 68 x 43Curb Weight: 1,680 lb
Peak Power: 210 bhp @ 6000 rpmPeak Torque: 236 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm0-62 mph: 4.0 sec.Top Speed: 148 mph