I Drove The 600-HP Donkervoort P24 RS. Nothing Else Feels This Alive: Driven

Everything you think you know about road cars being 'involved' or 'engaging' is deeply, terribly wrong. Steering that feels alive, instant throttle response, a gear shift so pleasingly notchy you smile each time…

Others have tried, but few will get close to the Donkervoort P24 RS.

The Wildest Thing To Come Out Of The Netherlands

Photo by: Donkervoort

Hailing from the Netherlands, the P24 RS is the latest car from one of the most gloriously unhinged manufacturers out there. The headline figures are impressive enough to let you know it’s no shrinking violet: 600 horsepower, 590 pound-feet, 0-62 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds, 0-124 miles per hour in 7.4 seconds, 180+ miles per hour, 1,720 pounds dry, 150 cars only.

Judging it on its numbers alone does it a disservice, though.

Donkervoort’s been building cars for nearly 50 years. Founded by Joop Donkervoort, it kicked off by building a take on the Lotus Seven able to get past Dutch regulations. From there, it took the familiar formula of ‘lightweight, rear drive, lots of fun’ and developed it to the extreme.

Photos by: Donkervoort

Photos by: Donkervoort

Donkervoort makes its cars by hand in very small numbers, each bespoke, at the firm’s Lelystad, Netherlands factory—a facility its own website calls the "Cathedral of Carbon, Temple of Turn-In, and House of Horsepower." Hell yeah.

The grand description is, having spent time in the company of the P24 RS, entirely justified. To look at, the latest 'Donk is wild. An evolution of the firm’s already shapely last car, the F22, it’s pointier, angrier, and somehow more refined.

Pictures give a decent impression of its various angles, pointy bits, and such, but in person it feels more imposing. Like a cross between a Batmobile and a machete, it draws eyes and comments without having to try. In green carbon especially, it catches the light wonderfully.

And that’s before you even start it up.

The Donkervoort Formula: Less Weight, More Madness

Photo by: Donkervoort

Twist the chunky metal key and its Ford-sourced 3.5-liter V6 grumbles into life. The decision to go for a Ford motor over the tried and tested 2.5-liter Audi turbo five-cylinder the firm’s used before was made for good reason: Audi’s ditching its legendary engine. Also, getting into bed with the Four Rings comes with conditions. You can play with the engine to a certain extent, but not too much.

Ford will let you play far more, which is why Donkervoort has fitted custom Van Der Lees turbochargers to generate its ludicrous power figure. A four-pot was a potential post-Audi, but customers liked the idea of gaining, rather than losing cylinders. Considering they’re paying €300,000 just to get in the door, listening to them is a prudent move.

Once you’re on the move, you’ll spot a little red switch in the center console. It offers three power outputs: 400 for just gadding about, 500 for a more spirited drive, and 600 for the full whack. For most people, 400 hp and naff all weight should be more than enough—plenty of companies view it as a benchmark figure.

In here it feels adequate, for sure, but you get the impression that the ‘Voort wants you to stretch its legs, and that such little power is boring it. Jumping to 500 hp, things become more urgent.

Photo by: Donkervoort

Torque fires its way to the rear wheels at the merest suggestion of movement on the throttle. It surges forward with ease, while numbers on its digital dash start skipping giddily upward. That, for most mortals, would be enough punch to keep them happy until the day they die. It’s half a Bugatti Veyron’s power with less than half the weight to push it along—that should be enough. But no.

There’s no reasonable world in which you’ll ever ‘need’ the full 600 hp. It’s bloody fun, though.

It makes the wild acceleration found in the lower modes feel almost pedestrian. The world gets blurry if you dare to keep your foot planted for more than a second or two; rev limits are hit, switched out from, and hit again. It’s savage. It’s ridiculous. It’s… a bit much if we’re being truly honest with ourselves.

You’ll be grateful for the P24 RS’ brakes—they may be small, but they feel mighty.

A Full-Body Experience

Photo by: Donkervoort

There’s more to the car than big numbers. Having power is all well and good, but if you can only use it in a straight line, you may as well be in a Tesla. That's not what Donkervoort’s about.

The five-speed manual is a notchy short throw that brings nought but joy with every shift. It’s the sort of ‘box you need to spend time learning to get the best from, but once you’ve figured it out you’ll find it addictive to flick from ratio to ratio.

Having power is all well and good, but if you can only use it in a straight line, you may as well be in a Tesla. That's not what Donkervoort’s about.

Steering is an interesting sensation here. You don’t expect a car to be so responsive so quickly. Tipping the ‘wheel into a bend and giving it as much lock as you would need in a ‘normal’ car will see you turning, and gripping harder than you’d expect. A minor mental recalibration is needed. All of a sudden, every other car’s steering feels numb by comparison. Your fingers are fed delicious information from the asphalt, too.

You’re not left out in the wild without any help. There’s adjustable traction control to keep you safe should you start a quick demo with ‘watch this,’ and you can set the ride up to suit the road you’re on too. Thanks to the UK’s rotten tarmac, the softest setting was the best choice, and even then it was on the rumbly side.

Verdict: Bonkers By Design

Photo by: Donkervoort

It all seems rather dramatic, doesn’t it? That’s because it is. This is not a car for beginners. Nor is it for the easily scared.

Everything about the P24 RS is direct, communicative, and responsive. It’s a workout to drive fast. Yes, there are safety nets, but that doesn’t mean you can hustle it as you would a Golf. Or even a 911 GT3.

You can get to grips with it quickly, but it’ll take years to truly master. The P24 RS is a car that demands physicality to drive. The steering needs a bit of upper body to get the best from, the gears are a push/pull affair, you’ll spend your time looking around to see what you’ve caught up to or what you’ve gapped (everything all the time, FYI), the ride makes you tense muscles you didn’t know you had.

When you get out, though, after a small rest, you’ll ache… for another go. This thing’s a drug. Thankfully, a legal one.

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