This is a Donkervoort D8 GTO JD-70, it’s a rare, ultra-lightweight Dutch performance car powered by a turbocharged 2.5 liter Audi inline-five that sends 420 bhp to the rear wheels.
With a curb weight of just 680 kgs (1,499 lbs), the D8 GTO JD-70 has 618 bhp per tonne – that’s enough to send it from 0 to 62 mph in just 2.7 seconds, then on to a top speed of 280 km/h (174 mph).
Fast Facts: The Donkervoort D8 GTO
- The Donkervoort D8 GTO JD-70 is a lightweight Dutch performance car using a turbocharged 2.5 liter Audi five-cylinder that produces 420 bhp. Its 680 kg (1,499 lb) curb weight gives it an incredible power to weight ratio, reaching 62 mph in 2.7 seconds with a top speed near 280 km/h (174 mph).
- The model evolved from Donkervoort’s long pursuit of a modern take on the Lotus Seven idea, combining low curb weight with newer materials and a higher-output engine. Power climbed over time from early GTO figures of about 340 to 380 bhp to later versions like the JD-70 at 420 bhp.
- The chassis is fitted with double wishbones front and rear with Intrax three-way adjustable dampers, adjustable anti-roll bars, and trailing arms. Donkervoort’s Ex-Core carbon construction keeps weight low while improving stiffness, and the interior is stripped back with a focus on the driving experience rather than comfort or luxuries.
- This JD-70, number 16 of 70, carries more than €45,000 in factory options including Bentley Damson Metallic paint, exposed carbon, leather and Alcantara trim, Volk wheels, Bosch Motorsport race ABS, Tarox brakes, adjustable steering assist, sensors, and added convenience items. It is being offered for sale in Harderwijk, Netherlands.
History Speedrun: Donkervoort D8 GTO
The Donkervoort D8 GTO was a major evolutionary step for the boutique Dutch automaker, it rose out of decades of experimentation that began all the way back in 1978, when Joop Donkervoort set out to build cars that captured the raw design of the Lotus Seven while using more modern materials and state-of-the-art engineering.
This is a Donkervoort D8 GTO JD-70, it’s a rare, ultra-lightweight Dutch performance car powered by a turbocharged 2.5 liter Audi inline-five that sends 420 bhp to the rear wheels.
By the 2000s, Donkervoort had established a clear design language – a long nose, open wheels, exposed suspension, and minimalist bodywork. Internally, the company was working on something new, a car that was faster, stiffer, and capable of embarrassing almost any other vehicle on modern circuits – it would be named the D8 GTO.
Donkervoort’s engineers opted to use new materials and an all-new powertrain. Instead of the older inline-four units, the company partnered with Audi Sport to use the 2.5 liter turbocharged five-cylinder – an engine with a well-established motorsport pedigree and one that fit the Donkervoort ethos of excellent power output for its weight, and good mid-range torque.
Early GTOs produced around 340 – 380 bhp, but later variants pushed output well past 400 bhp, including the JD70 at 420 bhp and the Individual Series at 435 bhp.
The chassis is where the D8 GTO separated itself from other boutique sports cars, Donkervoort engineers had been hard at work developing their patented “Ex-Core” carbon technology, which would become standard in later GTO variants like the GTO-40 and JD70. This focus on low weight resulted in the total mass of the car sitting in the region of roughly 680 – 740 kgs depending on equipment, trim, and version.
Suspension design has always been central to Donkervoort’s development work, and the GTO follows that pattern. It uses double wishbones front and back, with Intrax 3-way adjustable dampers, adjustable anti-roll bars, and rear trailing arms.
Inside, the GTO’s interior is very much purpose-driven -the cabin is narrow, low, and formed around the driver and passenger. There are belts, exposed fasteners, and minimalist gauges. Comfort plays a distant second to low weight – Donkervoort cars have always been about the mechanical experience rather than luxuries.
The GTO’s power-to-weight ratio allows it to run with modern supercars despite having half the mass and far fewer cylinders. Zero-to-100 km/h figures range from roughly 3.3 seconds in the lower-powered early variants to about 2.6 to 2.8 seconds for the higher-output models, depending on tune and gearing.
With a curb weight of just 680 kgs (1,499 lbs), the D8 GTO JD-70 has 618 bhp per tonne – that’s enough to send it from 0 to 62 mph in just 2.7 seconds, then on to a top speed of 280 km/h (174 mph).
Over the years, Donkervoort released several variants. The JD70 celebrated founder Joop Donkervoort’s 70th birthday and introduced further chassis refinements and aerodynamic tweaks. The JD70 R went even further, adding aero components, safety hardware and more aggressive suspension and braking, making it a legitimate track-day weapon in the right hands.
The Individual Series, the last of the road-legal GTOs, pushed power up again while giving customers wide latitude for custom specification.
The Donkervoort D8 GTO marks an important milestone in the company’s evolution – it was the moment they took the old Seven-inspired formula and pulled it into a modern era without losing the analog purity that defined the brand.
The Donkervoort D8 GTO JD-70 Shown Here
The Donkervoort D8 GTO JD 70 you see here is number 16 of the 70 car anniversary run, and it was ordered with more than €45,000 in factory options. It’s finished in Bentley Damson Metallic with extensive exposed carbon-fiber panels and added PPF on the nose cone, front wings, side skirts, and rear fenders.
The cabin is trimmed in a bespoke leather and Alcantara package featuring Damson accents, a digital dashboard, and a brake-bias controller. Power comes from the turbocharged 2.5 liter Audi inline-five producing around 420 bhp, paired with a 5-speed manual and a limited-slip differential.
This example rides on gold-toned Volk Racing wheels – with 17-inch fronts and 18-inch rears – shod with Nankang tyres. Key performance options include the Bosch Motorsport M5 Clubsport race ABS, Tarox rear brakes with six-piston callipers and an independent handbrake, electrical servo steering with adjustable assistance, as well as tire-temperature and pressure sensors.
The Donkervoort D8 GTO JD 70 you see here is number 16 of the 70 car anniversary run, and it was ordered with more than €45,000 in factory options. It’s finished in Bentley Damson Metallic with extensive exposed carbon-fiber panels and added PPF on the nose cone, front wings, side skirts, and rear fenders.
Additional equipment includes a rear-view camera, a Class V alarm with GPS tracking, a window-frame wind spoiler, black-finished exterior hardware, and the water-resistant factory “poncho.”
The car is now being offered for sale out of Harderwijk in the Netherlands and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images courtesy of Collecting Cars
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
