Brabham unveils track-only BT62 supercar

BRABHAM Automotive has lifted the lid on its debut model, the track-only mid-engined BT62 that is set to become the only supercar built in Australia.

Honed at Victoria’s Phillip Island race track and set to be manufactured in South Australia by company founded by racing legend Sir Jack Brabham’s son David, the car packs a 5.4-litre normally aspirated V8 mounted amidships and driving the rear wheels.

With carbon-fibre body panels, the two-door, two-seat coupe has a price tag to justify its supercar moniker – £1 million ($A1.81m).

Revealed at Australia House in London, only 70 examples of the BT62 will be built in reference to seven decades of Brabham. It will be built in left-hand drive as standard, with right-hook available on request.

The quad-cam V8 punches out an eye-watering 522kW of power and 667Nm of torque, sent exclusively to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox.

Combined with the prodigious power output is a weight of just 972kg, which has been achieved thanks to a stripped-out interior and carbon-fibre body panels.

Its light weight means the BT62 packs a power to weight ratio of 537kW per tonne, more than the McLaren Senna (458kW/tonne dry), Pagani Huayra (445kW/tonne), Ferrari 812 Superfast (361kW/tonne) and Ford GT (348kW/tonne).

Measuring 4460mm long, 1950mm wide and with a wheelbase of 2695mm, the BT62 has a number of aerodynamic enhancements to maximise downforce, including a massive front splitter, beefy rear diffuser, underbody alterations and a huge adjustable rear wing that combine to add 1200kg of downforce.

Stopping power comes from six-pot carbon Brembo brakes, while 18-inch wheels are standard. A massive 125-litre fuel tank with quick-fill connectors enhances its track-focused reputation.

Inside, the BT62 resembles a hardcore racer, with a six-point harnesses, removable carbon-fibre racing-style steering wheel, roll-cage, Alcantara and exposed carbon-fibre trim, and fixed bucket seats.

The first 35 examples of the BT62 will be decked out to reflect each of the Brabham racing team’s 35 grand prix wins, with the first model liveried in green and gold in reference to the BT19, which produced Sir Jack Brabham’s first win at the 1966 French grand prix.

That year also marked the first year that Sir Jack’s went on to win both the driver’s championship and constructor’s championship – a feat never matched.

The Brabham Formula One racing team folded in 1992 after changing hands a number of times. In 2010, a legal battle ensued when a German businessman attempted to buy the Brabham name and re-enter Formula One.

The Brabham family was eventually granted the rights to the name, and in 2014, Sir Jack’s son David Brabham, who spearheaded the BT62 project, launched Project Brabham to enter a race team to Le Mans.

Sir Jack died in May 2014.