Rodin FZed track car born from Lotus T125
Hethel-developed single seater provided the basis for this 675hp Kiwi track machine
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…
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?
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
The idea of the original Lotus was that they would be supplied with full factory support, so there would be a team there prepping the cars, someone giving you coaching, analysing your datalogging and generally giving a rich bloke the full race experience without the having to race wheel to wheel bit in the same way that Ferrari do for their Corse Clienti programme in older F1 cars and the FKXX evo road car things.
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
As you say, I'm sure there are people out there that might have the means, but I do wonder what kind of rules there would be. How would something like this sit with noise regs etc I wonder.
As you say, I'm sure there are people out there that might have the means, but I do wonder what kind of rules there would be. How would something like this sit with noise regs etc I wonder.
Surely this thing is way too potent (and noisy!) to be allowed on a regular trackday. And if you had this much money, you'd be able to afford to go proper racing, not just driving in circles at Bedford or whatever. And then you'll find that this car almost certainly doesn't meet the criteria for whatever racing formula you're looking at. So it gets left in some millionaires garage for willy-waving purposes. It's a nice project, but why?!
I want to be wrong. Someone help me...
There are so many myths about how F1s are impossible to drive, only fit tiny drivers or cost a million quid every time you start them but actually they're pretty accommodating, have massive mechanical and aero grip and are hugely rewarding to own as even driven at 60% of capability they are quicker than 99.9% of circuit cars. If you want to make the personal investment in human performance and driver training to get you to low 90%'s of possible performance then you're one of the fastest circuit drivers on the planet after the current crop of F1 drivers. For a big chunk less than an Enzo/Veyron/that sort of thing you can have a modern F1 car with full spares and engineering support (so basically everything you need to run it on an ongoing basis) and all the human performance/training/support you require as a driver to make the most of it - so whilst they are certainly not cheap they are just as possible to own as the various hypercars that are out there today and they don't depreciate when you put KMs on them
As you say, I'm sure there are people out there that might have the means, but I do wonder what kind of rules there would be. How would something like this sit with noise regs etc I wonder.
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