Donkervoort P24 RS Sets New Standard with 3D-Printed Air Cooler
Donkervoort teams with Conflux to deliver a cutting-edge thermal breakthrough for the forthcoming Donkervoort P24 RS supercar. The collaboration introduces a new generation of ultra-light, 3D-printed water-charged air coolers that transform supercar cooling. The collaboration redefines the air-cooler concept, creating a lighter, smaller, and more efficient system than any seen in a production car.
Engineers produced aluminium-alloy sculptures weighing just 1.4 kg apiece—vastly lighter than the 16 kg air-to-air units offering similar thermal capacity. The bespoke coolers sharpen throttle response, allow tighter packaging and slash overall vehicle weight, giving the P24 RS a tangible performance edge.
“The key to engine performance is keeping the intake air as cold as possible,” said Managing Director Denis Donkervoort. “We challenged ourselves to find the best way to achieve that—and Conflux delivered.”
“We moved to a liquid-to-air cooler, made using additive manufacturing, from a company that isn’t just on the cutting edge—they’re ahead of it. We gave Conflux our exact specifications, and they delivered a solution so effective, we could even downsize it from the original prototype.”
By exploiting their compact form, engineers located the coolers inside the engine bay rather than at the car’s nose, trimming the inlet-tract length by two-thirds. The adjustment accelerates response, boosts efficiency and improves weight distribution—crucial gains for a lightweight supercar.
The Australian-built Conflux units join Van der Lee’s billet turbochargers in Donkervoort’s high-tech evolution of the PTC engine. Water circulates through a bespoke external radiator, then chills the intake air immediately before combustion, ensuring consistent high performance in every condition.
“Our Formula 1 technology is available beyond the track for the first time,” said Conflux Founder Michael Fuller. “We’re scaling it for the high-performance automotive market. For limited-production vehicles like the P24 RS, F1-grade solutions are finally within reach.”
Donkervoort was among the first to adopt Conflux’s production-ready air coolers, choosing cylindrical designs directly between the turbochargers and throttle bodies. Following engineering-first principles, each component is 3D-printed with tailored fin geometry, density, and length.
“Donkervoort approached us with clear cost and performance targets,” Fuller added. “Their clarity and drive made this one of our most exciting collaborations. Within our configurable product line, we could fine-tune everything—from diameter and fin density to overall length—for the most efficient design possible.”
The system incorporates a custom, thin-wall radiator that delivers increased cooling with less coolant and a reduced surface area. Donkervoort and Conflux have not merely rethought cooling; they have re-engineered how performance breathes, setting a new benchmark for the supercar sector.
