This 700-HP, F1-Inspired Beast From Brabham Is the New Supercar on the Block

The $1.36 million BT62 is pure evil.

Before Bruce McLaren arrived on the Formula 1 scene from New Zealand and established himself as a force both in the cockpit and as a team owner, there was Australian “Black” Jack Brabham pioneering the same trajectory from the southern hemisphere to Europe’s greatest tracks.

Brabham’s eponymous team won four world driver’s championships (two by Brabham himself and two more by Brazilian Nelson Piquet) and scored 35 Grand Prix victories along the way. During the 1960s, Brabham was the world’s largest manufacturer of race cars for customers.

Now, it is Brabham Automotive’s turn to follow McLaren Automotive‘s example, by turning the company’s racing expertise to building supercars. Unveiling the new BT62 supercar, managing director David Brabham said, “It’s with great pride that I honor and continue my father’s legacy in revealing the next chapter in the evolving Brabham story. Our first step to deliver on that strategy is the Brabham BT62, a car truly worthy of carrying the iconic Brabham name.”

The Brabham racing team earned a reputation for innovation through the introduction of the fan car, a Formula 1 racer that employed a fan to suction the car to the track for better grip. That was an innovation that was quickly banned, but there are no rules for track cars like the BT62, to the company had a free hand while developing the BT62.

”The Brabham BT62 has been designed and engineered to demand more from its driver,” Brabham said. “It’s a car for those who want to challenge themselves and their limitations to experience driving in its purest form.”

Carbon fiber construction permits a dry weight of just 2,143 lbs. (with no fluids aboard), which the 700-horsepower 5.4 litre V8 engine should propel to absurd speed. The monstrous wing and careful wind tunnel tuning contribute to the BT62’s 2,600 lbs. of aerodynamic downforce at speed, meaning the car could theoretically drive on the ceiling because the suction exceeds its weight.

Brabham Automotive plans to build just 70 BT62s, with first deliveries scheduled for later this year.