Inside the Donkervoort x Van der Lee Custom Turbo for the P24 RS

Denis Donkervoort, Managing Director of Donkervoort Automobielen, generated excitement among his engineering team when he announced the partnership with Van der Lee. He expressed, “There are many similarities between Van der Lee and Donkervoort. We are both Dutch, quiet achievers, and we prioritise heavy customisation for our customers. We can’t wait for people to experience what we’ve created here.”

He stated, “They have created works of art that give the PTC motor the throttle response of a naturally aspirated car, weigh almost nothing, and are exclusive to Donkervoort.”

Like Donkervoort, Van der Lee focuses more on results than on profile. The company has designed and built turbochargers for the one-engine Formula 2 series and two outright World Endurance Championship contenders.

Jaap Van der Lee, Managing Director of Van der Lee, explained that his company’s experience in low-volume, high-end supercars began with McLaren and now includes partnerships with Koenigsegg, Singer, and Donkervoort. “Donkervoort knows what it wants, and this has been an impressive, focused collaboration,” he said. 

“We prioritise high quality, low volume, and lightweight products, which aligns with Donkervoort’s approach. We understand each other very well,” he added. “We draw lessons from aviation and Formula 1 to create turbochargers, enhancing the PTC engine’s performance across the rev range.”

Van der Lee emphasised, “There are no carry-over parts for this PTC turbo. It’s a completely new design for Donkervoort. The techniques and philosophy are largely derived from motorsport, with some components like the compressor wheel benefiting from motorsport lessons.”

Both family-owned companies are at the forefront of innovation, continuously perfecting existing technologies and pioneering new ideas. Securing Van der Lee’s expertise is a significant achievement for Donkervoort and a major advantage for the PTC motor.

“They usually focus on cutting-edge motorsport work and have only recently begun developing high-end road cars,” Donkervoort noted. “These turbochargers are custom-made for us by a company dedicated to creating extreme, exotic turbochargers at the cutting edge of motorsport.”

He highlighted the rarity of exclusive turbochargers in the supercar world, where most are off-the-shelf components from suppliers. “These turbochargers weigh only 4 kg each, making them very lightweight and providing fantastic power-to-weight ratios while being compact for better packaging.”

Donkervoort also praised Van der Lee’s technology and its exclusivity. “Typically, a low-volume supercar manufacturer wouldn’t invest in this kind of technology, but we recognised a unique opportunity and seized it,” he remarked.

The ball-bearing turbocharger is becoming increasingly considered for supercar applications, although it is still not widespread. “The billet turbine improves response by spooling up faster, reducing turbo lag. It can be more optimised and intricate than a cast turbine and operate at higher temperatures.”

However, these innovations come at a cost, as no original equipment manufacturer (OEM) would pay for such components for mass production. “This exclusivity allows us access to advanced, exotic features that they would never incorporate into a production car,” he added.

The world of Formula 1 has evolved past spectacular failures, and Van der Lee has not experienced a single failure in either Formula 1 or the World Endurance Championship. Van der Lee assured, “All our turbochargers are rated for at least 300,000 km.”

“Our motorsport turbochargers are designed to withstand the gruelling 24-hour Le Mans race, and we simulate their performance for 100,000 km at full speed under those conditions.”

He further explained, “For the Donkervoort turbos, we designed thinner housing walls, employed billet turbines, and used superior materials than those found in production turbos. When manufacturing 200 turbos, choosing high-quality materials over cost-effective ones does not significantly affect the overall price, as most expenses are in development and craftsmanship.

“Donkervoort appreciates that the turbine and compressor design can prioritise performance over ease of production or cost,” he concluded.

The Donkervoort P24 RS’s PTC motor will feature an extensive list of customised, performance-enhancing elements, with further details to be revealed closer to the supercar’s launch date.

More deep dives into Donkervoort engineering – from Ex-Core evolution to radical lightweight thinking, and, of course, everything behind the new engine.

Missed the start?

Watch Chapter 1 – the beginning of Donkervoort: Living the Drive – Season ’48 and The Road to the P24 RS in the Newsroom.

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