Dutch developments

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There’s no denying that good ol’ Colin Chapman inspired a whole generation of motor manufacturers. Take the 1957 Seven alone - a basic but damn’ good sports car design, even if it was alone for the fact that it spawns sibblings to this day. Thousands of them. And it takes a well experienced kit car buff to keep all of them apart – from Estonian Estfield to Indian Chinkara, with anything in between from Japanese Mitsuoka, New Zealand Almac, Australian Elfin, German Irmscher, South-African Superformance, Swedish Esther. We could go on here…

But did Colin Chapman ever express himself about all these? We’re not sure, but we have a feeling he may have liked the life cycle that Dutchman Joop Donkervoort (above and below in his twenties; here today) has given to his take on the Seven. Donkervoort started with a Seven kit in the 1970s and, like so many, thought he could do better. Fast forward 36 years after marketing the first four-wheeler baring his own name and he is still going strong. As a matter of fact the Donkervoort matured as well as the man himself, thanks to relentless development. The only thing Seven about the current cars is that the old Chapman design is still recognizable in them. The weight has about doubled compared to the very first Seven, but still comes at under 700kgs. Meanwhile, the power output has more than tenfolded.

Donkervoort’s brand new biography is one of ups and downs though, as the man encountered plenty of difficulty in making his marque. As the publisher says ‘A biography about entrepreneurship, encumbrance and lots of bhps.’ A good read, we say.

(Words Jeroen Booij, pictures Donkervoort)  

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