Red Bull has taken the covers off its first ever production car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with the dramatic RB17 track toy making its public debut.
Unveiled amid some of the brand’s highly successful Formula One cars — with which the car shares a naming lineage, slotting between the 2020-2021 RB16/RB16B and the 2022 RB18 — the RB17 is the first conventional vehicle to wear the Red Bull logo on its nose.
Designed by the legendary aerodynamicist Adrian Newey, who is leaving his role as the group’s chief technical officer at the beginning of 2025, the RB17 will be produced by Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT) in a limited run of just 50 cars.
Naturally aerodynamics are at the heart of the car’s design, with Newey describing the RB17’s downforce-to-drag ratio as “aircraft territory” (although pressing down rather than up). RBAT’s technical director Rob Gray comments that the level of downforce is — due to regulations about wing position and size — not possible even in F1.
While unsurprisingly looking similar to the Newey-designed Aston Martin Valkyrie (in particular the AMR Pro) from some angles, RB17 isn’t really a development of the earlier machine. In fact — despite the Valkyrie being a road car and the RB17 being a track toy — it’s even designed to carry some luggage.
It is of course built around a two-seat, carbon-fiber monocoque chassis, and the mid-mounted engine — a semi-stressed member — looks set to be something pretty special. Exact specifications haven’t been announced yet, but it is a Cosworth-developed and naturally aspirated 4.5-liter V10 which spins up to 15,000rpm.
That provides close to 1,000hp on its own, but there’s also an F1-derived electric hybrid system. This is good for around 200hp more, but also acts as a starter motor and a reverse gear for the RB17. In total then there’s close to 1,200hp, all heading to the rear wheels through a carbon-fiber gearbox.
This extensive use of composites delivers a vehicle that weighs less than 900kg (under 2,000lb), which is barely 100kg (220lb) heavier than the current crop of F1 cars. With more power, more downforce, and a downforce to drag ratio better than F1, Red Bull says it will deliver “F1-equivalent lap times”.
RBAT will design and build every one of the 50 RB17s to customer specifications, with each client given free rein over the car’s coloring, materials, and other finishing details. They’ll also become part of a driver development program, to help them get the best out of the car, and invited to exclusive track events at circuits around the world.
No price has been mooted for the RB17, but if you’re guessing somewhere in the mid-seven digits range we wouldn’t argue too hard against it. Of course it barely matters as every one of the 50 cars has already found a home.
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