Donkervoort reckons this Final Five edition takes its bonkers F22 into hypercar territory

The wonderfully bonkers folk at Donkervoort are mourning a great loss, because this new iteration of the wild F22 is called the ‘Final Five’. Not only does that mean these are the last five F22s that Donkervoort will build, but it also celebrates the fact that this is the last time it will use Audi’s 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo engine.

“Its distinctive five-cylinder off-beat idle, turbocharger whistle and ever-evolving timbre make it a visceral experience. Each slight increase in rpm takes it from a deep idle to a silky bellow, then to a fierce howl at high revs,” reads the F22 Final Five press release. This could be a tricky break-up. There are strong feelings involved here.

“It’s an open-air operatic theatre as much as a performance engine. It is also reliable, light, and forgiving, allowing Donkervoort to trade just 45kg for unmatched performance gains.”

We’ll allow them the testimonial though, because Donkervoort has been using this five-pot engine since the 2011 introduction of the D8 GTO. That car first arrived with 375bhp, but the F22 now makes a quite incredible 492bhp.

And while the Final Five celebrates the engine, it doesn’t actually get any tweaks under the bonnet. Clearly it was just right already. Instead, Donkervoort has somehow stripped 34kg of weight from the already featherweight F22, meaning it now tips the scales at just 716kg.

The full carbon body saves a chunk of weight, while carbon ceramic discs apparently cut 2.5kg per corner. There are also carbon wheels, plus a titanium exhaust system that chops out 4kg. Bet it sounds pretty good too. Donkervoort describes this car as “the ultimate tribute to the five-cylinder era”.

We’re told that it’ll pull 2.3g in corners now (up from the ‘standard’ car’s 2.15g), and there is still the standard five-speed manual gearbox. No word on 0-62mph times, but other F22s can manage the sprint in 2.5 seconds. Yikes.

“While the D8 GTO lifted Donkervoort into the supercar realm, the F22 Final Five marks an undeniable transition toward hypercar prestige,” says Donkervoort. Yeah, we’d be inclined to agree. And like with most hypercars these days, the F22 Final Five is already sold out.

Still, Donkervoort has also hinted that its next car will also be a bit of a hypercar hunter. We’re promised that it won’t be a multimillion-dollar car though, and it won’t be electric. So, what engine do we reckon Donkervoort will go for next?