Brabham – one of the most famed names in Grand Prix racing – is being revived on a £1 million pound track car.
David Brabham, son of the late Sir Jack Brabham who founded the Australian racing team in 1961 and went on to win three Formula One World Championships, unveiled the Brabham BT62 during an event at Australia House in London.
The BT62 continues the numbering format that was applied to all of the Brabham racing cars. Only 70 will be built and the first 35 will celebrate the 35 Grand Prix race wins achieved by cars wearing the Brabham badge.
The new Brabham is a two-seat track-only car built primarily in carbon fibre. Weighing just 972kg, it is powered by an in-house designed naturally-aspirated 5.4-litre V8 engine of 710hp, producing a power-to-weight ratio of 730hp per tonne. Torque is quoted at 667Nm, and while Brabham is not yet revealing performance figures for the car, they are expected to compare with rival hypercars from the likes of McLaren.
The Brabham team say that a host of bespoke engineering details have been incorporated into the design and construction of the BT62, and its body generates downforce of more than 1200kg. The brakes are fully carbon, discs and pads in the composite material using six-piston calipers front and rear.
Brabham Automotive will be based in the UK but the cars will be built in a new 15,000 square metre facility in Adelaide, former home of the Australian Grand Prix (and the greatest city in the world – ed).
No competition programme has yet been announced for the BT62 but speaking at the launch former F1 driver David Brabham confirmed that the ultimate aim is to return the Brabham name to the track and in particular the Le Mans 24 Hours race, which he has won three times.
“I set out 12 years ago to re-establish the iconic Brabham name, determined to see it return to global competition,” Brabham said.
“My father had an incredible determination to succeed and, like him, I’ve worked tirelessly through this time, drawing on my experience as a racing driver, leader and mentor, never once losing sight of that goal.
“It’s been challenging at times, but what we have achieved is simply staggering. Today’s unveiling makes me feel incredibly proud as the Brabham legacy enters a new era.”
