Brabham Automotive – how the badge reflects the history

Brabham’s new emblem is derived from the famous ‘V’ that featured prominently on the badges of the 1960s Brabham-Repco powered Championship-winning Grand Prix single seaters, as well as other victorious racing Brabham models of the period.

Joining the new logo at the front of the BT62 will be the trademark ’fangs’ from the iconic ‘Hissing Sid’ snake on the supercar’s lower nose section that were so synonymous with the later 1970s-80s Brabham Ecclestone-era Formula 1 cars.

Brabham’s bold new emblem echoes the marque’s rich heritage with a sharp, strong and engaging device that embodies the marque’s declared status of ‘attitude: fearless, intelligent, confident and forward-thinking.’ 

Brabham’s new brand identity was presented at the unveiling of the all-new Brabham BT62 earlier this month at a gala event hosted at Australia House, London; a location chosen in recognition of the company’s proud Anglo-Australian roots.

Brabham Automotive’s Managing Director, David Brabham greeted the 200-or-so guests at Australia House by saying: “Welcome to our celebration of Brabham, which also marks the beginning of the next exciting chapter of our story. This is such an incredible day for the whole family, and by family, I don’t just mean the descendants of Sir Jack. The Brabham family encompasses all of the amazing, talented and determined individuals who have contributed to the Brabham legacy over the last seventy years.”

Racing legends in their own right, many of those individuals were present to witness the BT62’s unveiling in person, including John Judd, who built engines with and for Sir Jack Brabham in the 1960s, former Brabham Formula 1 Team Manager Herbie Blash, the team’s former Race Coordinator Tony Jardine, plus drivers Derek Bell, John Watson, Derek Warwick, Martin Brundle and Mark Blundell, who each raced for Brabham and were part of its thirty-year reign in Formula 1. 

Sir Jackie Stewart, a three-time Formula 1 World Champion, sent a message reflecting on the significance of Sir Jack Brabham’s World Championship victory in a car of his own making. He said, “It is great to think that the name of Brabham Automotive is coming back to life with the creation of the BT62. What a great name and what a great brand”.

Sir Jack Brabham’s business partner, designer and co-founder of the Brabham racing team, Ron Tauranac, who at the age of 93 years old was unable to join the celebration in person, delivered a deeply-personal video message recorded at his home in Australia. “I congratulate you all on celebrating seventy years of the Brabham legacy. My connection to Jack goes right back to the 1950s. Together, our team won many World Championships and always maintained a strong connection with Australia. It’s a joy to see the ‘BT’ brand being honoured with the new and exciting Brabham BT62.”

After more than two years of top-secret development, David Brabham revealed both the new BT62, plus his Company’s new ‘V’ inspired logo, saying in closing that “the reveal of the BT62 proudly upholds the Brabham legacy, marking the start of our next chapter with a bold statement: Brabham is back.”