Brabham drops BT62 price by $500K

BRABHAM Automotive has added a stripped-out, race-ready ‘Competition’ version of Adelaide-built BT62 supercar that will be used for the company’s endurance racing debut at the Brands Hatch circuit in Britain on November 9.

 

Priced at $A1.3 million plus taxes, the BT62 Competition is a cool $500,000 less expensive than the standard-spec Ultimate Track Car that can made street legal in some markets – including Australia and New Zealand – with a Road Compliance Conversion upgrade.

 

Compared with many high-end supercar brands that charge more for less, Brabham’s contrarian pricing structure has fuelled speculation that it is struggling to find buyers for its entire BT62 production run of 70 units.

 

However, Brabham Automotive PR and communications manager Steven Wade told GoAuto the company was “simply responding to customer needs” but declined to disclose sales figures.

 

“We had been holding back the announcement of this variant to coincide with our racing return, so this is not an afterthought and was always part of our strategy,” he said.

 

“We recognise the added luxury that comes with the Ultimate Track Car but wanted a variant that was ready for racing.”

 

Rather than being painted, the Competition’s bodywork is offered with a choice of two liveried wraps that can be exchanged for a bespoke design if desired and the interior has been pared back to a bare carbon finish with no passenger seat.

 

No weight saving over the Ultimate Track Car’s already skinny 972kg has been announced, but Brahbam describes the Competition as “stripped back and ready for racing”.

 

Everything else remains the same as the Ultimate Track Car variant, including the 5.4-litre naturally aspirated V8 that puts out 522kW of power and 667Nm of torque through a six-speed sequential transmission and carbon brakes with motorsport-strength anti-lock and traction control systems.

 

Also present and correct are the FIA-compliant safety cell with roll cage and other track-friendly features such as pneumatic jacks, centre-lock wheels, a quick-release multi-function steering wheel and race-ready instruments. As per the Ultimate Track Car, the aerodynamic bodywork is said generate up to 1.2 tonnes of downforce.

 

Based on market trends, Mr Wade said Brabham expected more customers to go for road-legal variants of the BT62 than track-only versions.

 

In addition to Australia and New Zealand, he said the Road Compliance Conversion is available in Britain, Europe and some countries in Asia and the Middle East.

 

“In other markets, we will work with customers to see what is possible,” added Mr Wade.

 

For customers who change their mind at a later date, Brabham promises the Competition can be upgraded to Ultimate Track Car or Road Compliant trim at any time. As with other BT62 configurations, the company is also making the Competition available in both right- and left-hand drive.

 

“Customers can have the best of both worlds and take delivery of a track car, then once they have completed the driver development programme or raced the vehicle, they can bring the car back to us and we can convert it into a road-compliant car at a later date,” said Mr Wade.

 

Brahbam says initial deliveries of the BT62 Competition will begin early next year, in time for the northern hemisphere racing season.