This Dutch roadster blurs the line between a race car and a street car

By Ronan Glon May 5, 2016

Dutch boutique car maker Donkervoort has introduced the D8 GTO-RS, a model that blurs the line between a race car and a street car.

The RS is based on the standard D8 GTO, which is already one of the most extreme street-legal cars offered in Europe. It’s equipped with an Audi-sourced turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine that has been tweaked with input from Bosch to deliver more power and faster acceleration. Technical and performance specifications are being kept under wraps for the time being.

Donkervoort developed a brand new brake system to keep the additional power in check. The D8 GTO-RS also benefits from a revised suspension system, and a wider front track that provides the front axle with more grip. The GTO-RS is consequently much faster around a track than the standard D8; in fact, it’s the fastest GTO the company has ever built.

The GTO-RS’s body is wider than the D8’s, and it receives a redesigned front end with a new four-slat grille, sharp-looking LED headlights, and massive air ducts that help cool the brakes. Once inside, the driver is treated to a three-spoke steering wheel wrapped with Alcantara, a short-throw gear lever that sticks out from a transmission tunnel made out of carbon fiber, and an airplane-like instrument cluster with a bevy of toggle switches and analog gauges.

Read more: Italian designer’s take on the Tesla Model S is the wildest yet

The Donkervoort D8 GTO-RS will make its full debut towards the end of the summer. Want one? If you live in the United States you’re out of luck, because the GTO-RS won’t be sold here. Even if you’re in Europe you need to act fast, because production is limited to just 40 examples and over half of them have already spoken for. Pricing starts at €151,173, a sum that converts to approximately $173,000.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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