Does 730ps-per-tonne sound good to you? Keep reading…
There is a history of big names from Formula One using their motorsport heritage to sell cars – some more successful than others.
The moniker of ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ has been employed by some of the greatest names throughout motorsport. Ferrari have been at it since the forties, Porsche, Ford and Audi are among those to have employed the tactic in endurance racing, and McLaren went so far as to name their hypercar the F1 in the nineties, as if the name (and blistering performance) wasn’t enough to turn heads.
Now, another brand has emerged that is looking to capitalise on its motorsport heritage with the launch of a customer vehicle, though the gap from win-to-sell is considerably longer than the accepted norm.
Introducing the Brabham BT62
Packing 700bhp and 492 ft-lbs of torque courtesy of a 5.4-ltre V8 engine, with a dry weight of less than 1000kg all wrapped up in a CARBON FIBRE body that looks like a Bugatti Chiron and a McLaren Senna had a baby, the BT62 is designed to be a mid-engine track weapon.
Gallery: Pictures from the Brabham BT62 launch
As you can see from the pictures, that power-to-weight ratio needs a lot of downforce to keep it on the straight and narrow. Thankfully, Brabham has thought of this and claims the BT62 is capable of delivering over 1200kg of downforce thanks to an aerodynamic package, which, coupled with Michelin slicks to be developed in conjunction with the French rubber specialists should help keep it glued to the track.
Brabham says the car has been designed to ‘demand more from its driver,’ and buyers will be able to join the Brabham driver development programme, which should hopefully mean BT62 drivers keep their very expensive toy on the asphalt.
Prices start from £1 million plus local taxes, but that’s before options have been considered, and production will be limited to just 70 cars – meaning that price tag should at least grant owners some exclusivity.
That production run is a nod to the 70-year heritage of the Brabham name in motorsport; the first 35 examples produced will pay further tribute to the 35 Brabham F1 team victories, earned between 1962 and 1992.
Multiple Le Mans winner David Brabham, son of founder of Brabham racing team Jack Brabham, unveiled the car at Australia House in London, alongside the BT19 racer that took Jack to victory in the 1966 French Grand Prix, with the BT62 being liveried to match its historic counterpart.
