Brabham BT62: 700bhp track-only hypercar demonstrated at Goodwood

The car has 18in wheels front and rear, with Michelin competition tyres and six-piston carbon-on-carbon Brembo brakes. In keeping with its motorsport heritage, the BT62 features a six-point racing harness, removable carbonfibre steering wheel, a 125-litre fuel tank with quick-fill connectors and a built-in air jack system.

The car will be sold in left-hand drive as standard, with right-hand drive available "on request". Owners will become members of a Brabham driver development programme designed to develop their “physical ability and determination” to the point where they can "fully exploit" the BT62’s performance.

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Paul Birch, who headed development of the car, said the BT62 was created from a blank sheet of paper over a two-year engineering and development programme. He added: "It’s a car that demands total engagement and commitment from its driver, delivering immense reward and satisfaction."

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The BT62 will be limited to 70 cars to mark, according to the team, the 70 years since Jack Brabham began racing in Australia. The Anglo-Australian company will have offices in the UK and Adelaide, South Australia, where the BT62 will also be built at a 15,000 square-metre facility.

The first 35 cars will be liveried to reflect each of the grand prix team’s 35 world championship race wins. The first car, on display at the launch event, was finished in the green and gold colours carried by the BT19, which Brabham used to take his team’s first victory in the 1966 French Grand Prix at Reims.

The launch event at Australia House, the home of the Australian High Commission in London, featured a display of Brabham racing cars and memorabilia. The exhibition is now open to the public (by ticket only).

Brabham’s racing heritage

Having won back-to-back F1 titles in 1959 and 1960 for Cooper, Jack Brabham founded Motor Racing Developments with engineer Ron Tauranac in 1962. The firm quickly built a business selling customer chassis — all carrying the BT nomenclature to recognise the two founders — for use in various single-seat categories, while Brabham and team-mate Denny Hulme claimed back-to-back F1 titles for the outfit in 1966 and 1967.

Brabham retired after the 1970 season, selling his share of the team to Tauranac, who sold it to Bernie Ecclestone the following year. The squad experienced a resurgence in the 1980s, in part thanks to star designer Gordon Murray, with Nelson Piquet winning drivers’ titles in 1981 and 1983.