With 70 years of racing heritage behind it, Brabham’s £1million track-only BT62 is just the start for the Anglo-Australian firm Fancy a £1m, 700bhp track car? You’ll be wanting to speak to Brabham Automotive about its BT62.
‘SO WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CAR?’
David Brabham’s question catches me off-guard. It’s all too easy to become jaded by the constant influx of glitzy supercars and track-focused hypercars these days; most of them fall far beyond the reach of mere mortals, and more than a fraction simply never see the light of day.
I’d been sceptical about Brabham’s new BT62, too, but perhaps I shouldn’t have been. It’s still early days, but Brabham looks set to offer something genuinely unique in the track car market – not least an enviable 70 years of motor racing heritage since David’s father, Jack, started building Midget racers, before going on to become the only man to win an F1 title in a car bearing his own name.
If all goes well, there are plans for a range of vehicles, and a Le Mans attempt, too. But for now, here’s ever y thing you need to know about the BT62.
1 ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
The BT62’s 5.4-litre V8 is Brabham-built, albeit based on unnamed architecture from elsewhere. Naturally aspirated, the quad-cam, 32-valve unit breathes through drive-by-wire individual throttle bodies and exhales through a motorspor t exhaust system that, at 98 dB, should just sneak onto some UK track-days. Output is 700bhp, with 492lb f t at 6200rpm. The transmission is a proper motorspor t unit, too, a Holinger six-speed pneumatically actuated sequential operated by paddles – capable of full-throttle upshifts and auto -blipping downshifts. There are no solid performance figures: ‘You don’t really need to focus on 0-60 times and top speeds with a track-focused car,’ explains Brabham.
2 BODY
It can’t be an easy task designing a track-only supercar that looks unlike the many other track-focused supercars on the market, but Brabham may just have managed it.
Spend long enough and you might see hints of others in its carbonfibre body work, but much of the shape, including the carbon floorpan, barge boards, adjustable rear wing and rear diffuser, are a result of computational fluid dynamic s testing. Exterior personalisation depends on the car: the first 35 examples are the Celebration Series, with each chassis number corresponding to the 35 Brabham Grand Prix wins and featuring the relevant liver y. The second 35 cars are the Signature Series, with more scope for personalisation.
3 INTERIOR
It’s refreshingly businesslike in here, akin to a particularly well-trimmed GT car or Le Mans prototype. So the tube frame is visible, along with the carbonfibre body construction, but the seats and carbon dashboard are trimmed in Alcantara with contra sting stitching and there’s a neatly integrated driver display and switch panel. The interior shown depicts one of the first 35 cars, with a plaque celebrating Jack Brabham’s 1966 French Grand Prix win. The seats (and six-point harnesses) are fixed – instead, a s in Ford’s GT, the pedal box can be adjusted to suit different drivers. Owners will familiarise themselves with the car and its cabin through an academy programme, bringing them up to speed with the BT62’s performance under professional guidance.
4 CHASSIS
David Brabham describes the chassis construction a s ‘ tubular metallic architecture’, similar to that used in GT racing , with combined chassis and rollover protection. The aims are strength, safety and light weight, and with a dry kerb weight of 972k g the latter is in little doubt. Suspension is by double wishbones at all four corners, with pushrods for the Öhlins T TX coilover springs and dampers. The anti-roll bars are adjustable. Rolling stock comprises 18-inch Brabham centre-lock racing wheels, 11 inches wide at the front, 13 at the rear. Michelin competition rubber is used. Brakes are Brembo carbon-carbon units – 380mm at the front, 355mm at the rear, all grabbed by six-piston calipers.
“The first 35 cars are the Celebration Series, with each chassis number corresponding to the 35 Brabham Grand Prix wins and featuring the relevant livery”
TECHNICAL DATA FILE SPECIFICATIONS 2019 Brabham BT62
Engine V8, 5387cc
Max Power 700bhp @ 7400rpm / DIN nett
Max Torque 492lb ft @ 6200rpm / DIN nett
Weight (dry) 972kg (claimed)
Power-to-weight 732bhp/ton (claimed)
0-62mph 2.0 seconds
Top speed 186mph+ (claimed)
Basic price £1million (plus taxes)
On sale Now (2018 UK)
DAVID AND THE GOLIATHS
David Brabham outlines his company’s ambitions – on track and road
McLaren P1 GTR, Ferrari FXXK, Aston Martin Vulcan – just a small selection of the track-only hypercars to have hit the market in recent years, with several more on the way. To compete is no easy task, but there’s a lot to be said for an evocative name – Brabham Automotive, for example. At the BT62’s official debut, we sat down with David Brabham to find out a little more, from the car’s raison d’être, to future road cars, and a crack at Le Mans…
What makes now the right time to build a car such as the BT62?
It’s a combination of factors. There seems to be an appetite for cars like this right now, but ultimately it’s about what I wanted the car to be like, a kind of unrestricted GT car, influenced by my experience from 35 years of racing.
How does the car compare to some of the race cars you’ve driven over the years?
It’s a big step for ward from the GT 1 cars – I’d say it’s somewhere between a GT 1 and a Le Mans Prototype, that kind of range.
And was the decision to go with a track-only supercar the most desirable option? Similar technology could produce a road car or a full race car, for example.
It was, because our brand is as a thoroughbred racing company. We’re celebrating 70 years of racing history this year, which is incredible – Ferrari celebrated its 70th last year, Porsche this year… If Brabham’s going to come out with something, it makes sense for it to have high performance, blistering lap times, to be durable – and that sets the scene for what you do next.
How far away is the BT62 from being road-legal?
We’ve certainly looked into it in some detail, but our primary goal is to produce BT62 as a track car. But you never know…
Are you looking to become the next big supercar brand – a McLaren competitor?
We have ambitions to produce a road car, but it’s a bit too far down the road to talk about that yet. We’re not going to be a mass-production supercar company, though – it’s going to be more niche.
You’ve got ambitions to go to Le Mans with the company. Is that with the BT62? And is there a timeframe?
It’s not been designed to race in a particular championship. Our next model will probably be designed more with GT racing in mind. There are a lot of regulation discussions going on with the ACO in terms of GT and LMP, and it certainly opens up a window of opportunity for us. We have to wait until those regulations become firm – we’re talking around 2020 – and we can respond quickly once those regulations have been revealed.
Where do you see Le Mans regulations heading? GT cars rather than prototypes?
That’s a very good question. GT ha s always been pretty strong. LMP1 ha s always gone in circles, and I’ve lived in that world where one minute it’s the hot thing and the next minute it’s not. Manufacturers spend gazillions trying to win Le Mans and then it all changes. There’s a possibility that there could be another class, or that LMP becomes simpler – a little like IMSA . What’s important is that we have a business that supports the race team.
Would you race again yourself – aiming for a win in a car bearing your name?
Obviously there’s a par t of me that thinks that’s pretty cool! But a s a driver… in 2020 I’m going to be like 54, 55, so will I feel like I can get in and do the job? I’m either going to contribute properly a s a driver, and if not, then I’ll stick somebody else in. It’s all about the performance.
