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Remember Brabham? A new race car carries the name

And by its looks alone, it seems worthy of the marque

Remove the racing livery and this has the makings of a handsome road car. PHOTO FROM BRABHAM AUTOMOTIVE

There is a select number of names in the world that are synonymous with motorsports, and Brabham is certainly one of them. Most famous for its rich history in Formula 1 and other open-wheel competitions, Brabham brought the world cars like the popular BT46 Fan Car. Now, the distinguished name is about to return to racetracks around the globe. Keeping the traditional BT naming convention, the latest creation by the iconic marque is called the BT62 and aims to build on the 70-year racing pedigree of the brand.

A robust 5.4-liter V8 engine lurks inside. PHOTO FROM BRABHAM AUTOMOTIVE

Now led by David Brabham, the son of company founder and F1 champion Jack, the newly incarnated Brabham Automotive has come up with a car that weighs a mere 972kg and is powered by a naturally aspirated 5.4-liter V8 engine placed amidships. This in-house-developed powerplant delivers 710hp and 667Nm to the rear wheels, which should be plenty enough punch to make the track-only supercar frighteningly fast.

The BT62 is one of those race cars that are livery-friendly. Very easy to prettify. PHOTO FROM BRABHAM AUTOMOTIVE

The carbon-fiber body features an aggressive aerodynamics setup that can create up to 1,200kg of downforce, which is roughly the same as having a Volkswagen Polo sit on top of the car to press it down on the track, while massive carbon brakes with six-piston calipers front and rear are there to ensure more than adequate deceleration. Brabham is planning to build a total of 70 units, with the first 35 of them featuring liveries that pay tribute to each of Brabham’s 35 Formula 1 Grand Prix victories.

The scariest thing to see in a night race. PHOTO FROM BRABHAM AUTOMOTIVE

Priced at £1,000,000 (P70,000,000), the BT62 will be manufactured in Adelaide, South Australia. And David Brabham—himself a Le Mans winner—is determined to bring the name back in the racing spotlight. This includes plans to compete at Le Mans again, as well as a driver development program that is designed to get owners into racing shape and enable them to get the maximum out of their machine. Seeing as the company is mentioning a long-term product development program, we also really hope they will be building a road-legal version of this gorgeous-looking track weapon.



Frank Schuengel

Frank is a German e-commerce executive who loves his wife, a Filipina, so much he decided to base himself in Manila. He has interesting thoughts on Philippine motoring. He writes the aptly named ‘Frankly’ column.



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