Brabham’s car division hits bump in the road

Plans to launch a line of supercars under the Brabham name have hit a bump in the road after the Brabham racing team, which owns the rights to the name, split ways with Fusion Capital, the majority shareholder of the supercar business.

Just the one car was launched in 2018, the mid-engine BT62, which included versions for racing, track enthusiasts, and the road, though production never get beyond a handful of examples. Brabham planned to build 70 examples, each priced from about $1.3 million.

In a statement released on Thursday, David Brabham, who heads the racing team and is the son of F1 legend Jack Brabham, the team’s founder, said the collaboration with Fusion Capital came to an end after six years, and that this “opens the doors” for potential future ventures in the road car business.

One of the key reasons for the split was a decision by Fusion Capital to focus on new areas like electrification and self-driving technology. The private equity company, which is based in Adelaide, Australia, was closely linked to Australia’s former automotive industry and is still involved in the design and manufacture of buses. The company is currently looking into developing electric vehicles and robotaxis.

The BT62 was developed in Australia on a bespoke chassis. It weighs just 2,142 pounds (in track car form) yet generates 700 hp from a 5.4-liter V-8. That’s 30 hp more than the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, officially the most powerful production car powered by a naturally aspirated V-8.

The BT62 also employs componentry from some of motorsports’ finest, including pushrod-actuated adjustable Ohlins dampers with coilover springs, Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, Michelin racing slicks, and an adjustable traction control system. An aggressive aerodynamics package also delivers 2,645 pounds of downforce.

Beyond the debut track car, Brabham rolled out multiple racing versions plus a BT62R road car. Brabham planned to follow it up with a more attainable car and was also rumored to be looking at an entry in the FIA World Endurance Championship.