Monday 5th August 2019

Rodin FZed track car born from Lotus T125

Hethel-developed single seater provided the basis for this 675hp Kiwi track machine

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Remember the defunct Lotus T125 project that attempted to bring F1-like performance to the wealthy track day enthusiast back in 2010? Well, it turns out all the work from that Bahar-era programme has not been entirely wasted, because New Zealand company Rodin has used it to create this new FZed single seater. The 675hp track day machine is finished and can actually be ordered now for USD $615,000 excluding taxes (so about £607k with VAT), meaning it’s about £143k cheaper than the likes of Porsche’s 935. Bargain.

That being said, the FZed is more concerned with rivalling second-hand single seaters than limited-run track hypercars like Stuttgart’s GT2 RS-based beast. Rodin claims that unlike an old F1 or GP2 car, the FZed has been designed with ease of use as a priority so it won’t require a Masters in mechanical engineering to be started up. The Cosworth GPV8 3.8-litre, for example, has links to the 2.4-litre eight that powered the old Lotus F1 car but its larger capacity and 12,000rpm rev limit means the components are considerably less stressed. The engine can run on 98 RON fuel for up to 3,000 miles between rebuilds.

The whole car only weighs 589kg, thanks largely to the use of carbon composites and aluminium in its construction, along with the obvious benefits in packaging for a thoroughbred single seater. The monocoque chassis and powertrain, which includes a paddle-operated Ricardo six-speed sequential gearbox, are joined structural components, meaning rigidity is comparable to a true racing car without the need for additional strengthening. The rest of the ingredients are equally as convincing; there are Ohlins four-way adjustable dampers and OZ Racing wheels wrapped in Avon slicks, as well as adjustable flaps on those previous era F1-influenced body panels

With a power-to-weight ratio of 1,146hp (even more than the bonkers V8-powered Seven we Spotted over the weekend!), Rodin claims that the car can accelerate from 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds and has a top speed of about 186mph, but that’s obviously dependent on the car’s aerodynamic setup. Nevertheless, the main draw for the T125-related FZed will likely be its hyper-reactivity and aerodynamic performance. If you’re the sort that has considerably more than half a million quid to splash on a track day toy, the temptation to experience some serious downforce must be quite the pull factor. Although if you’re feeling brave, there’s always this ex-Sato Jordan with an F3000 engine for £225k to provide similar thrills…

[TartanPaint]

I'm looking forward to PPBB's take on this.

Does this get anywhere close to meeting his customers' needs for a usable parts testing car, or is a real ex-F1 chassis still way ahead in terms of capability?

[TartanPaint]

poppopbangbang said:

Not one for us I'm afraid. Where the T125 was and as a result where this is vs a proper F1 car (even a back marker!) is just worlds apart. The aero budget on the Team Lotus F1 in 2010 was more than the whole of the T125 program for example. It's also worth noting that an ex F1 car has essentially completed 30K KMs of testing before you get it so they are pretty reliable in a lot of areas that the T125 wasn't. Finally an ex F1 car is a proper, real, actual, was on telly Formula 1 car that was part of the circus and traveled the world, something so many of these F1'alike projects miss as being extremely important to a lot of the guys who want this sort of thing. Afterall GP2 cars are really cheap and are faster than a T125 so if it was just about pace vs cost then you'd go and buy one of those. There is a place for this and the T125 variants in countries that can't get hold of ex F1 chassis easily or are limited in some other way (we are spoilt in Europe) but for me it's always going to be about the actual F1 cars due to the stories, teams and people that go with them.

You can have a reliable, 3000KM+ life, run it with one person, big service once a year, modern era Formula 1 car if you want. It's kind of what we do

Great insight, much appreciated. Thank you!