Making a name for yourself in the modern automotive world — an established pantheon of greats, legendary names and massive corporations that mostly began when the automobiles were just starting to gain popularity — is nearly impossible. Only an incredible few have made a big enough name for themselves in the past couple years to make an impact (the name Tesla might ring some bells). Breaking into the upper echelon of the supercar arena (and to be taken seriously) is even harder. Luckily, the Brabham name already proved it could take on cars from Ferrari and McLaren and win, which is why the all-new Brabham BT62 track-only supercar is creating a stir.
If you’re expecting a car built in collaboration with a bigger brand, powered by an engine borrowed from an already great performance car, look elsewhere. The BT62 was designed and built from the ground up by Brabham engineers, and so was the 5.4-litre naturally-aspirated V8, which spits out 700 horsepower and 492 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels. Factor in the 2,143 lbs worth of carbon fiber and kevlar the BT62 is made from, and you can see why the BT62 already looks like a threat the establishment. Outside of the cars raw power, the designers and aerodynamicists were able to shape the BT62’s body, fins, vents and wings to coax 2,645 lbs of downforce out of the air moving around the car, stats McLaren, Ferrari and Aston Martin go after with their own track-only specials.
There’s no doubting the seriousness of this car or the company’s intentions: Brabham plans on eventually bringing the BT62 to Le Mans to compete in the famed 24-hour race. Until then, if you want one for yourself, it’ll cost you just over $1,600,000. And that’s if all 70 examples haven’t been spoken for already.
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