We have had some details of the car already but with its unveiling, we can see just what a serious machine it is – and an obvious rival (on track at least) for cars like the McLaren Senna GTR and Aston Martin Vulcan, or even Valkyrie AMR Pro. Weight and downforce may be Brabham advantages but rivals have more power.
Like Aston and McLaren, Brabham plans to offer a driver development programme to show owners how to get the best out of the car. Helping owners get the best has been a Brabham trait since the beginning, one of the factors why the firm became the world’s largest manufacturer of single-seat racing cars in the 1960s, just five years after building its first. The new company is adamant this part of the “Brabham DNA” will be carried over.
The BT62’s ”best” promises to be a considerable amount. Here is a mid-engined, slick-shod (courtesy of Michelin) coupe with a naturally-aspirated 5.4-litre V8. That’s right, for the constructor that clinched the first turbocharged F1 title in 1983, there’s no sign of a turbo here.
The engine serves up 700bhp and 492lb-ft of torque to a Holinger sequential six-speed transmission driving the rear wheels. The suspension is by double wishbones front and rear, there are Ohlins dampers and adjustable anti-roll bars. Brakes are Brembo carbon/carbon featuring six-piston calipers, and wheels are racing centre-lock. An air jack system is built into the car.
The power output may be unexceptional these days but the power-weight ratio is impressive: Brabham is claiming 720bhp per tonne. The carbon-fibre car’s (dry) weight is 972kg, which is below that of rivals – no surprise perhaps when you see how pared back the car is inside. As shown, the BT62 is track-only with no concessions to creature comforts. The interior is stripped and ready for racing, with most of what you see either carbon or Alcantara. There are no luxuries like air-con on the options list – though you can get a passenger seat. The other exceptional number is 1,200 kg which is the amount of downforce the BT62 generates. You certainly won’t miss the BT62’s dual-element (and adjustable) rear wing, and the diffuser and splitter are similarly XL-size. It amounts to a very aggressive aero package, though F1 followers may be disappointed to learn there is no giant “fan” sucking the car to the ground… Design-wise, it has a pleasing if derivative mid-engined supercar profile.
Engineering chief Paul Birch said: “The BT62 is a car that demands total engagement and commitment from its driver, delivering immense reward and satisfaction.” There are no lap times or performance figures so far.