700BHP BRABHAM AUTOMOTIVE BT62 TRACK-ONLY RACER REVEALED TO TAKE ON THE MCLAREN SENNA
The legendary Brabham name has returned on a track-only special supercar called the BT62, limited to 70 units to mark 70 years of Brabham in motorsport and intended to take on the new McLaren Senna.
The name picks up right where the original, two-time Constructor’s Championship winning Brabham Formula One team left off when it ended its participation in the sport during the 1992 season. Failing to enter the 1993 championship with the commissioned-but-never-built BT61, the BT62 carries on the team’s F1 car naming lineage.
The Formula 1 heritage theme will continue with the first 35 BT62s to roll out of Brabham’s Adelaide, South Australia factory. Each one will be liveried in tribute to the team’s 35 Grand Prix victories, with the first BT62 to be revealed celebrating the green and gold BT19 raced to victory by Jack Brabham at the 1966 French Grand Prix. The next 35 will be tailored to the customer’s choice.
With son David at the helm of the new Brabham Automotive venture – an ex-Formula 1 driver and Le Mans winner himself – the goal of the project is to see the Brabham name return to the track for good.
The car itself cuts a mid-engine GT racer-like image. Underneath the aerodynamic carbon fibre bodywork, sculpted with the assistance of computers through CFD technology, is a tubular metallic architecture. The enormous rear wing means over 1,200kg of downforce, is possible, but it’s an adjustable setup.
In the cockpit, the carbon-fibre and Alcantara headlined cabin is home to a removable, square, Formula 1 style steering wheel, while a 12-inch digital instrument cluster sits in front of the driver, fastened into a carbon seat-shell by a six-point racing harness.
Power is provided by a 5.4-litre naturally aspirated, Brabham race prepared V8, producing 700bhp and 667Nm of torque. No fixed performance figures have been issued though. Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox with gear paddles mounted behind the steering wheel.
The BT62 sports double wishbone suspension front and rear, complete with pushrod, four-way adjustable coilover dampers from Ohlins and adjustable anti-roll bars. Stopping power is provided by Brembo carbon on carbon brakes. Without fluids the BT62 package weighs just 972kg, meaning it’s lighter than McLaren’s Senna, which tips the scales at just under 1,200kg dry.