Skip to main content

Donkervoort. Das is snel.

By

This link was on yahoo.com last week.

When you think of Dutch products, cars normally aren't one of the first things that come to mind. Well how about a 340 hp Dutch car that goes from 0-60 in 3 seconds. 3 seconds! With a top speed of 160 mph. I mean look at this thing!

The link has more pictures. While this obviously isn't a car you would drive everyday around town. It does look fun. Look at the 'teeth' in the front grill.

If you are a fan of utilitarian vehicles; cars that don't cater to the extravagant, cars that deliver the simple necessities quickly and without the fluff. I'm thinking the older Jeep Wrangler models. Then Joop Donkervoort of the Netherlands and his Donkervoort D8 GTO is the car for you. This car dismisses the fancy plush seats and touchscreen displays and delivers a few things a driver isn't used to The driver is rewarded for ignoring the creature comforts by getting a ridiculously light vehicle and amazing speed over comfort.

Donkervoort has been building cars for 3 decades but his GTO is here to lead his company in a new direction. The vehicle weighs only 1,540 lbs (half what a normal compact car weighs). But to achieve such a light weight a few things had to be passed up. There is no roof and few creature comforts. His only 'extra' is electronic traction control. Which I guess you will need when driving that fast.

The company says the first 25 GTOs will be special editions with 'race' switches that provide an extra 60 hp from the engine. Everyday models (like the one they will give me after reading this) will arrive in 2013 with a price tag of $130,000.

Looks fun. Not a passenger car but one to show of in.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

de Vries, Hans de Vries. Almost.

By
In 1967 THE James Bond (Sean Connery) decided to step away from the world of James Bond films. EOS studios thus had to find a replacement. It came down to 5 men. 2 Brits, an American, a Australian, and a Dutchman. John Richardson, Anthony Rogers, Robert Campbell, George Lazenby, and Hans de Vries. None of those names ring a bell? George Lazenby won the part for the 6th Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. A movie that has been lauded both as the worst and one of the best Bond films in the franchise. If you haven't seen it, you should. It was the Bond film that 'Breaks the Fourth Wall', Bond gets married, wears a kilt, and goes skiing. But the reason for this post is instead of this; (Yes, THAT is James Bond) We could of had this. Improvement? Probably not. He looks a wee bit angry. Plus, no one watches OHMSS anyway. So, did de Vries have a movie career after Bond? Ha, no. The only notable movie rolls I can find for him were pre bond. And that was ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Comment Reply - Protestants

By
So I've been called out. I had my first comment yesterday stating that during their fight for independence in the Netherlands, Protestants were under oppression in England. I love reading about history but am no History major myself or professional so I appriciate the comment. I remember that happening but I focus on items that interest me. Which is why I've focused on the Netherlands area. So I guess I'll go into it a little more. The Netherlands have always been a very open and free society to live. Think Amsterdam today. In a way I guess you could compare it to Las Vegas or New Orleans. So I have no doubt that some Protestants moved to the Netherlands to escape the oppression and help fuel the independence. People or all walks of life, races, and religions were welcomed. This accepting attitude helped to fuel the competition between England and the Dutch in the 17 and 18th centuries as they raced to gain a trade monopoly over each other. This ties in nice with why I'...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ray - Forest Boy

By
Remember around a month ago when the news story hit about Ray the Forest Boy who randomly showed up one day in Berlin, Germany? Well I forgot to post this but it has been found out who Ray the 'Forest Boy' actually is. 20 yr old Robin van Helsum of Hengelo Netherlands (100 miles east of Amsterdam). What allowed the police to finally determine who 'Ray' was? His stepmother. She recognized his picture on the news. He went missing 9 months ago. Now that he has been exposed as a hoax and not the Forest Boy who had been living in the woods for 5 years; Robin may face stiff fines and penalties for the extra police time and work put into his case which could cost as much as $40,000. 'Ray' originally walked into Berlin claiming he had been walking for 5 days after spending 5 years living out of a tent in the 'wild' where he had buried his father. One Berlin police officer said that there were things right from the start that did not match to his story. Lik...
2 comments
Read more