1200kg of downforce for Brabham BT62
Famous-name manufacturer says its first car will be V8-powered and sub one-tonne dry
Well, we asked for a picture, and here it is: the Brabham BT62 - or the back of it, at any rate. What can we deduce? Well, there's going to be downforce, clearly. Lots of it. Wise to our detective skills, the firm has accompanied its teaser shot with some technical detail, claiming a whopping 1200kg of clever air resistance from what is clearly an aggressive aero package.
To push it through the airflow, Brabham has installed a 5.4-litre naturally-aspirated V8, and claims a power-to-weight ration of 730hp per tonne. That is also a lot. Especially when you consider that McLaren quotes 668hp per tonne for the Senna, a car with a dry weight of 1198kg.
Brabham says the BT62 will be substantially lighter than that at a fluidless 972kg - suggesting that it is going nowhere near the road nor contain anything that might be mistaken as a creature comfort. It hasn't announced a headline figure for the V8, but the mathematicians among you will have already figured that it'll need to be producing around 710hp to arrive at its exalted power-to-weight number.
Undeniably that puts it (on paper at least) in the premier league of pure-bred track cars. And it will need to be because Brabham has announced a starting price for the BT62 of £1m plus taxes. Precisely what that buys you - beyond LED tail lights, a carbon fibre rear wing and all-carbon, all-round six piston brakes - we'll have to wait for the global reveal in London early next month to find out.
Alternatively, with the order books already open for the limited production run, you could speak to the manufacturer about buying one right now. Ownership will automatically gain you a place on a Brabham driver development programme, too - which you'll probably need unless an LMP1 drive appears on your CV. The firm expects deliveries to begin later this year.
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