Jack may have passed on, but his memory is still fresh. Just months after the end of Australian car manufacturing, Australia says it is back in the game. Granted, it’s only a track car and, agreed, there are just 70 examples to be built, but the mid-engined Brabham BT62 coupe just might be the start of something big.
At nearly $2 million, plus options and taxes, the BT62 is far and away the most expensive car anyone has tried to put into series production from this country. But it doesn’t appear to be one of those pie-in-the-sky prototypes regularly unveiled around the world in the hope of attracting backers. The Giocattalo was one of those.
The funding is already in place, and the car has been in secret development since early 2016. The long-term plan is to build a series of Brabham models out of a 15,000 square meter facility in Edinburgh Parks, northern Adelaide, as part of a plan to develop a new transport manufacturing and technology hub. This newly acquired site is just a stone’s throw from Holden’s recently shuttered Elizabeth factory.
Production of the Brabham BT62 is ready to start, according to the company’s director of manufacturing, Christian Reynolds. “One of the things that we wanted to do from a brand perspective is not necessarily come out with a concept prototype and then try and keep the media fed for 18 or 24 months while we get ready to deliver a production tested vehicle. It is tested, is demonstrable in performance, and we’re able to commercialize in terms of taking deposits now.”
These types of one-off’ supercars have had a checkered history in Australia, but you never know, with the Brabham name, it might just make it. Certainly a wild looking car.
 |
 |
