It's been two and a half years in the making but Donkervoort Automobielen has finally unleashed its next generation sports car, the new D8 GTO.
The long-nosed roadster was developed in close collaboration with Audi Quattro GmbH, which provided a modified version of the 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five found under the hood of the RS3 and TT RS.
According to Donkervoort, the 2.5 TFSI has undergone a diet and lost 30 kg or 66 pounds over the standard Audi variant.
"This weight savings is obtained by redesigning several accessory parts of the motor together with the Audi technicians," says Joop Donkervoort, founder of the Dutch brand.
"For example, amongst others a new intake manifold was developed. Because the intake follows a more favorable route through the motor area it is not only lighter, but has a favorable effect on the achievements of the motor as well," he added.
According to Donkervoort, a special race module switch on the dashboard allows the driver to increase the 2.5 TFSI's output from 340HP to 400 HP.
To accommodate the bigger engine, the GTO is a size larger than its predecessors, the GT Coupe and the D8 270RS roadster, measuring about 350mm (13.8-in.) longer and 150mm (5.9-in.) wider.
The Dutch company says that the GTO shares only 5 percent of the parts with the D8 270RS and about 30 percent with the much more recent GT Coupe. The sports model is built on a tubular hybrid chassis made out of carbon fiber, aluminum and steel, and features a carbon composite body, which help keep the total weight down to around 700 kilos or about 1,550 pounds.
The GTO accelerates from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in just 3.0 seconds and can reach a top speed of 255km/h (159 mph).
Production of the new car will begin in 2012 with deliveries of a first batch of 25 limited edition models expected in the summer. The regular versions of the GTO will arrive in Europe in the beginning of 2013 with prices ranging from €100,000 and €150,000 [US$130,700 - US$196,00] excluding taxes.
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