If you were planning on throwing $1.3m at the newest supercar on the block, but the track-only status gave you qualms, then good news.
For just a couple of hundred thousand dollars more, you can now make your Brabham BT62 road legal. The option is available for each of the 70 cars, should the customer choose it.
In case you missed it, the BT62 is a 700hp, sub-ton supercar, named for legendary Australian racing driver Jack Brabham. Brabham’s son, David — also a top-notch racing driver — leads the company behind the car.
The “Road Compliant Conversion” pack costs nearly $200,000, and effects quite a few changes to the car.
Naturally, there’s a couple of alterations required by law. These cover things like lighting and license plates, and matters of exposed sharp edges and hot exhausts. However, Brabham’s not just doing the bare minimum and slapping tags on a race car.
Each of the road-legal BT62s sees some fundamental changes to make them more livable. Brabham will put in axle lift kits on both ends of the car to raise the ride height, and increase the steering lock range. The BT62 also gains immobilizers and door locks for extra security. There’s even air conditioning available…
For the European market, Brabham makes the changes in the UK, and puts each car through an “IVA” test. This is essentially the same test as you’d send your self-built Caterham off to. There’s also a facility in Australia and Brabham plans to support the conversion in other markets on request.
What won’t change is the performance. The BT62 still gets the full-fat, 700hp, 5.4-liter, naturally aspirated V8. There’ll be a slight increase in weight, but since the car doesn’t even hit 2,200lb dry it won’t be a significant issue. Downforce is likely to drop a little too, thanks to the raised ride height.
It’s a change brought about by customer request. Some of the existing buyers wanted to not only drive their car on the circuit, but to and from it too. Others want their $1.3m car to see ‘occasional road use’ — who wouldn’t? You can also take delivery of your BT62 now and convert it for road use later, such as after the complementary Brabham Driver Development Program that teaches you how to get the most out of it.
David Brabham, managing director of Brabham Automotive, said:
“We designed the BT62 to be an unrestricted, thoroughbred track car and our extensive test program has revealed it to be all of those things. This isn’t a car designed for the road.
“With that said, it’s clear some customers are keen to have a road compliant option with their BT62, particularly to drive to and from the track. My father Jack was always customer-focused and we will continue with that ethos.”
Dan Marks, commercial director at Brabham Automotive, added:
“Customers have the flexibility of completing the Brabham Driver Development Programme before converting their BT62 or requesting that their BT62 be delivered as a road compliant version. Given these cars are limited editions, tailored to the needs of each owner, we are keen to provide this flexibility to our customers where we can.”
Brabham expects to deliver its first road-compliant BT62 this summer.
