The D08 emerged from the consolidation of two French motorsport manufacturing firms. In 2017 the Duqueine Group, an aerospace and automotive composites manufacturer, acquired Norma Auto Concept, the builder of the Norma M30 that had become a widely used LMP3 platform. The new ownership continued prototype production under the Duqueine name and began engineering the successor car to conform to the incoming second-generation LMP3 regulations.
On 23 May 2018 the Automobile Club de l'Ouest published the framework for the Generation 2 LMP3 rules and confirmed four approved constructors: Onroak Automotive (producing the Ligier JS P320), Duqueine Automotive (formerly Norma), ADESS AG, and Ginetta. The full technical regulations followed on 7 February 2019, specifying that the cars would be raced from the 2020 season through 2024.
Duqueine revealed a car badged as the D08 during the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans weekend in June 2019, but the vehicle shown to the public on that occasion was in fact a repainted Norma M30; the genuine D08 did not appear until September 2019. The delay was attributable in part to Duqueine being the last of the four approved constructors to receive the new, upsized Nissan V8 engine from the engine supplier.
Shakedown testing was conducted at Le Pôle Mécanique Alès-Cévennes in southern France, with former Le Mans winner Romain Dumas at the wheel. Further testing moved to Circuit Paul Ricard, where Nico Jamin drove, and David Droux also contributed laps to the development programme. The D08 made its first public track appearance during the post-season test at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão after the 2019 European Le Mans Series finale, running alongside the Ligier JS P320 — the other primary Gen 2 LMP3 contender.
Because its homologation paperwork was submitted after the deadline, the D08 carried a 10 kg weight penalty relative to the other three Gen 2 LMP3 cars throughout the 2020 season. Despite this handicap the car was competitive from its debut.
The D08 is built around a carbon fibre monocoque chassis. Suspension at both ends employs a double-triangle, pushrod-rocker geometry with three-way adjustable dampers and adjustable anti-roll bars. The car is 4,600 mm long, 1,900 mm wide, and rides on a 2,940 mm wheelbase.
Powering the D08 is the Nissan VK56DE V8 engine, displacing 5.6 litres in naturally aspirated configuration and producing 455 horsepower at race trim, with 570 Nm of torque. Drive is transmitted through a six-speed sequential XTrac 1152 gearbox. Minimum weight is 960 kg. Brakes are AP Racing ventilated discs with six-piston calipers at each corner, and the car runs on Michelin control tyres.
Compared to its predecessor the Norma M30, the D08 introduced a redesigned front splitter, revised side pods, a new engine cover, and a new rear wing. These bodywork changes improved aerodynamic balance and downforce distribution in line with the Gen 2 regulations.
The D08 debuted in the 2020 Michelin Le Mans Cup and immediately contributed to DKR Engineering's fourth consecutive Le Mans Cup Teams' title in that season. The following year, 2021, DKR's D08-powered entry won the European Le Mans Series LMP3 Teams' and Drivers' Championships, claiming race victories at Le Castellet, Monza, and Spa-Francorchamps.
The D08 competed across the ELMS, the Michelin Le Mans Cup, the IMSA Prototype Challenge, and the Prototype Cup Germany throughout its regulatory cycle. Championship titles across all series attributable to the D08 include Teams' and Drivers' crowns in the 2020 Michelin Le Mans Cup, the 2021 ELMS, the 2022 Prototype Challenge, and the 2023 Prototype Cup Germany — seven individual championships in total.
Through the end of 2024 the car recorded 160 race starts and 46 victories. An example sold at Bring a Trailer auction in September 2024 for approximately $100,000, reflecting the market for privateer LMP3 machinery as the generation closed.
The D08 was succeeded for the Generation 3 LMP3 era by the Duqueine D09.
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