Brabham

Brabham Automotive has revealed the BT63 GT2 Concept that will compete in the 2022 European GT2 Championship. It is based on the BT62, but comes with a number of aerodynamic and performance tweaks. The automaker has priced the BT63 GT2 Concept at a shade under $500,000.

You know how when an automaker adds the letter "R" to the end of a model’s nameplate you feel the urge to yawn because here you have yet another potentially lackluster attempt at a ’sporty’ or, maybe, ’track-focused’ version of said model? Well, with Brabham’s BT62R the whole thing has been turned on its head.

While the BT62 is the track-only, ultra-noisy, not-really-comfy version, the BT62R is the one you can drive on the street. Just about any street, too. Confusing? Maybe, but does it really matter when you consider that, finally, we’re getting a BT62 that’s road legal in more than a couple of countries?

Brabham, a name that needs no introduction among motor racing fans, is firmly back where it belongs, on the track. The company stunned us all in 2018 when it pulled the covers off the vicious BT62, a 700 horsepower monster powered by a 5.4-liter naturally aspirated V-8 bound to squash any Porsche 911 GT3 you might encounter at your local track day event. Last month, the BT62 made its racing debut in the Britcar Endurance Championship with a victory at Brands Hatch. Partaking in the 24 Hours of Le Mans is still the target for the Australian motley crew, although it may not happen until 2022.

David Brabham, Sir Jack Brabham’s youngest son, is an established veteran race car driver in his own right. Despite lacking the trifecta of F1 World Driver’s Titles that make his father an all-time great, David is, however, a two-time ALMS champion and has conquered Le Mans outright a decade ago with Peugeot, although his career actually spans three decades. In the past few years, David decided to hang up the helmet and focus on regaining control of the Brabham brand and make something of it. That ’something’ is, for now, the BT62, and it seems like a cracking way to make an entrance in the world of track-bound hypercars.

Brabham Automotive launched its first new car since 1992, the brutally quick BT62 track car, last year and, now, we’re learning more about how the whole ’track car’ thing can be morphed into ’road car’ if you can pony up an additional $190,000 over the $1.4 million price tag that David Brabham’s company asks for these things.

First of all, let’s remind ourselves what the Brabham BT62 is and what it is not. It is a purpose-built track car in the vein of the Pagani Zonda R or the LaFerrrari FXX-K that boasts a 5.4-liter V-8 attached to the chassis right behind the headrests that develops 700 horsepower and 492 pound-feet of torque, all stuffed in a car that weighs just 2,142 pounds. It also is a four-wheeled savage, delivering such a brutal driving experience that you need to go through a training program before you can actually gather track miles on your own. Now, what the Brabham BT62 is not, or wasn’t conceived to be, is a road car.

Brabham, though, listens to its customers and, although plans are in place for a future bonafide road car to be made under the Brabham name, some customers want to be able to take this car, the BT62, to the shops and to and from the race tracks without needing a truck to tow it. That’s why a conversion kit has been designed by Brabham, and it will be available, although there’s a catch if you’re not living in a European country.

Seemingly unveiled out of nowhere, the BT62 is a project that David Brabham, the youngest son of company founder Sir Jack Brabham, has been working on for a few years. The firm was reestablished in 2014 with a goal to join the World Endurance Championship and to return to Formula One. This has yet to happen, but Brabham designed a supercar instead. Although it’s not eligible for road use, the BT62 looks as aggressive as track-only supercars get and its spec sheet is impressive to say the least.

Although it hasn’t built road cars yet, Brabham is among the most iconic race car builders of all time, most famous for its 30-year career in Formula One. Established in 1962, Brabham disappeared from racing in 1992 due to financial issues. The brand was revived in 2014 as Brabham Racing, and in 2018 it unveiled its firm design in more than two decades. Meet the Brabham BT62, a track-only supercar powered by a 700-horsepower V-8 engine.

Update: 8/23/2018 We’ve updated this review with new images taken during Monterey Car Week 2018. Check out the gallery at the bottom of the page to see them all for yourself!

Hot on the heels of its unveiling at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Brabham BT62 will be making the trip across the Atlantic to have its North American debut during Monterey Car Week in California. The 700-horsepower, track-only supercar will be on display at the Michelin stand at Laguna Seca before making appearances at McCall’s Motorworks Revival and the Exotics on Cannery Row.

The Brabham BT62 finally showed itself in public at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed, and from the looks of it, the supercar looks to be as good as advertised. A sparkling red version of the track-focused BT62 took its turn driving around the Goodwood hill, and while it didn’t exactly burn the track with a scorching lap time, but it still left enough of an impression on the gathered crowd, effectively showing everyone that its return to the industry is going to turn a lot of heads. As far as first impressions go, it’s presence at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is already a resounding success for the company.