New Brabham road car coming

An all-new Brabham road car will be developed as the follow-up to the exotic Brabham BT62 supercar which brought the famous motorsport name back from the dead and into car-making.

Early details of the second model have just emerged as Brabham Automotive moves into full-scale production of the first batch of BT62s for customer deliveries from its factory in Adelaide.

It is also preparing for a sports car racing program in Britain under the leadership of company founder David Brabham, who has just switched roles to become the Sporting Director of Brabham Motorsport.

Early details of the new car point to a potential rival to mid-engine exotics like the Ferrari 488, although the newly appointed CEO of Brabham Automotive, Dan Marks, is not providing much information.

“We are continuing to produce and deliver BT62s, but also looking at future variants,” he revealed exclusively to carsales during an interview in Adelaide.

“We are quite mature in terms of the next vehicle, which will be a road car. We are currently speaking to potential partners and bringing that model together.”

Pressed for information, Marks gave a little more.

“We’re talking about a fully-homologated road car, so think of something like the McLaren 720S. So a proper road car.”

Marks says Brabham is on track under the plan originally developed by its umbrella owner, Fusion Capital.

It has a range of businesses including the largest Australian-owned bus manufacturer with an output of 450 vehicles a year, the Swagman motorhome company, a hotel, a renewables company, a division that makes fire-retardant foam and an aftermarket automotive manufacturing company that supplies to a number of car-makers.

Marks says the second Brabham model is part of a structured plan that begins with the BT62.

“Because it is part of Fusion Capital, Brabham is not overburdened with staff or overheads. So the whole thing is about continuing to build brand equity. You need to build that equity to give people confidence in the brand, and that takes time.

“The BT62 is partly about demonstrating the capacity of the group, as well as growing a team. But it is also about selling that vehicle and making a profit. The big push this [European] summer will be the road version of the BT62.”

He also confirms the BT62 build and the final pricing, while lamenting that Luxury Car Tax means it is possible to buy an Australian-made car overseas for less than it costs at home.

“We’ve got what we call the Competition Spec, which is $1.3 [million] plus GST. Then we have what we call the Ultimate Track Car which is $1.8 plus taxes, and then we have the BT62R, which is the road version and the same price.”

Despite delays from the original delivery date for the first BT62, in August last year, Marks says things are happening.

“We’re comfortable with where we’re at the moment. The first deliveries will be this year.

“We are currently in build with a number of cars which we are delivering in Q1 and Q2. And then it’s ongoing.”

With Fusion’s backing, Brabham Automotive has been hiring assembly staff and Marks is also keeping an eye on the fallout from the closure of Holden.

“We are passionate about manufacturing here. We believe Australia can manufacture successfully at low volumes with high technology,” he says.

“We believed there was significant capacity and capability in the market when we started Brabham Automotive. We want to create jobs and opportunities for people.

“It’s more than just selling cars, it’s engineering jobs and creating opportunities for our kids.”