Brabham Automotive and their BT62 are two years old. The BT62 launched in 2018 with its Ultimate Track spec with a 700hp 5.4 litre Brabham naturally aspirated V8, 6-speed racing transmission, extreme lightweight bodywork with 1600kg of downforce wrapped around a chromoly safety cell. Weighing just 972kg (dry), the BT62’s power to weight ratio surpassed that of vaunted rivals from McLaren, Ferrari and Porsche, justifying the BT62’s claim as the most dynamic driver’s car in the world.
The car quickly set about proving this capability with lap records around Australia, including the country’s most revered motorsport circuit – Mount Panorama at Bathurst. The automotive media was duly impressed, too. Top Gear called it “the world’s most track-focused hypercar” while multiple British Touring Car champion and Fifth Gear presenter, Jason Plato, described the BT62 as “driving in its purest form.”
The journey continued with the arrival of the BT62 ‘Competition’ in November 2019. The BT62 Competition is a stripped back, racing version of the, BT62 aimed at gentlemen drivers and professionals alike. It’s also the sharp end of the Brabham Motorsport program led by Sporting Director, David Brabham, which aims to see the marque compete in at Le Mans in 2022/23, with a watch and see brief on the finalization of the Hypercar Le Mans regulations.
The arrival of the BT62 Competition coincided with David Brabham and Will Powell driving the BT62 to an historic debut racing victory at Brands Hatch – where Sir Jack Brabham took an F1 victory in 1966 - as part of the Dunlop Britcar Endurance Series final round for 2019.
Brabham Motorsport is now firmly established, with Brabham supplying its first customer competition vehicles in 2020 for the Dunlop Britcar Endurance Series. BT62 participation in this category of racing is expected to grow but, of course, all eyes are on the goal of entering, and winning, the world’s toughest endurance race – Le Mans.
The next step on the journey will be the launch of the BT62R in June this year, a fully road-compliant version of the BT62. This third variant in the BT62 family will share the same chassis and powertrain as its track-focused siblings, with revised suspension (including front and rear axle lift kit) and aerodynamics, and increased levels of luxury and comfort for those who prefer to drive their car to the track on public roads.
Brabham Automotive is currently Australia’s only OEM and while the world pauses to deal with the pandemic, its plans for the future are bright and varied.
