Cycling legend Tom Boonen joins the Donkervoort team in Belgium. A new Donkervoort dealership has confirmed the growing demand for Donkervoort Automobielen’s 2G supercars.
Iconic Cars in Zandhoven has become a Donkervoort dealer for Belgium, joining other dealerships in Paris, Munich, Düsseldorf and Geneva.
Developed by experienced dealer Steve Lismont and former cycling World Champion Tom Boonen, Iconic Cars will sell new and pre-loved Donkervoorts and accept cars to be transported to Donkervoort’s Lelystad headquarters for servicing.
Perfectly named to sell supercars as crushingly fast and ultra exclusive as Donkervoort, Iconic Cars only deals in the most exclusive hypercars in the world and has become the sixth Donkervoort dealership in Europe.
“This is big news for us, and gives Donkervoort a strategic footprint across northern Europe,” Donkervoort Automobielen Managing Director Denis Donkervoort said.
“We have our ‘home’ operation at our headquarters in Lelystad and we have a wholly owned subsidiary dealership in Düsseldorf, and our group of independent dealers just became a lot stronger. “
“We are excited to again provide easier coverage for Donkervoort owners and fans in Belgium, especially in having such respected and innovative luxury brand experts as partners.”
“It makes us feel especially pleased to welcome Tom Boonen on board. Tom has owned a Donkervoort for five years and believes in our product so much that he’s invested his own time and money to become a part of our future as well.”
Boonen, 40, is almost certainly one of the most famous sports persons in Belgium and he has a long history of discipline and competitiveness, but also for fair play and sportsmanship.
After a two-wheeled career that netted him four Paris-Roubaix wins, three wins in the Tour of Flanders and six Tour de France stage wins, Boonen turned to racing cars in 2017 and has been a long-time Donkervoort GTO-RS owner and track-day enthusiast.
“I’ve owned a Donkervoort for several years now and I’m a strong believer in their supercars. Nobody else makes anything quite as direct and engaging as a Donkervoort,” Boonen said.
“To be granted the dealership rights in Belgium is a huge honour and we are excited to work together to spread the Donkervoort word even further.”
Iconic Cars has several Donkervoorts in stock, including a D8 GTO-40, a Cosworth-powered D8 and several older models. It also has a custom-built D8 GTO-JD70 on order from Donkervoort Automobielen, which is due to be delivered in June.
The new Belgian dealer plans to have a presence at most of Donkervoort’s premium track days this year (Covid-19 permitting), starting with Spa Francorchamps on March 27.
The Donkervoort Sales & Service Network consists of both dealers and service points. Besides Lelystad and Düsseldorf, other Donkervoort dealers and service points include just outside Orleans in France, between Lyon and Geneva in France, Barcelona in Spain and Tel Aviv in Israel.
– End of press release –
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For those new to the Donkervoort story, the car company’s history began when Joop Donkervoort bought the Dutch distribution rights to the Lotus 7, only to find it wasn’t legal on the roads in The Netherlands.
After initially trying to re-engineer the car to meet Dutch Type Approval, he instead decided to “finish” the Lotus 7 by starting all over again, but his way, because he was convinced he could improve it, especially in comfort, reliability, practicality and driving dynamics.
And with that, the first Donkervoort road car, the S7, was born in 1978 and lead Donkervoort to becoming the first small-series manufacturer to meet Type Approval.
But it actually started much earlier than that, with school notepads filled with car drawings instead of geography homework, suspension systems sketched during history classes and perfect powertrains and sleek bodywork created in place of art lessons.
An obsession with making the perfect sports car absorbed Joop Donkervoort from a very young age.
Donkervoort progressed, with Joop seeing himself as more of a professor and technician than a businessman, and he marked the company’s tenth anniversary with the Donkervoort Cup racing class for its new D10. It allowed its owners to drive to the track, race and drive home again, with Donkervoort taking care of everything from technical and tyre assistance to hospitality and catering.
By 2000, Donkervoort had formed a strong relationship with then-Audi chief Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen for engine supplies and technical help and it had outgrown its Loosdrecht site and moved to its current headquarters in Lelystad.
A new generation of D8 cars lead Donkervoort to its first GT closed-roof model in 2007 and into GT4 racing, where it won its class in everything from the Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race to the 24H Dubai race.
It also introduced new Donkervoort blood, with Joop’s children, Denis and Amber, entering the business in the technical and marketing sides, respectively.
The 2011 D8 GTO marked a turning point for Donkervoort, with lead designer Jordi Wiersma and the engineers delivering a beautifully balanced, strong, fast and distinctive open-topped super sports car.
It was a car that opened new markets to Donkervoort, and its core engineering provides the basis of the JD70.