Brabham Automotive

The design challenge was to re-establish the Brabham marque with a halo product which included design cues for future vehicles. Underpinning the design brief was a requirement to develop a vehicle with a balance of form and function, threaded with the Brabham DNA, and incorporating cutting edge R&D and engineering. The product needed to reflect the heritage of the Brabham marque and be globally competitive in the high value supercar market sector. The core objective of the design of the BT62 was to develop a car designed and engineered to allow the driver to discover the very essence of driving.

Competitor products were benchmarked in performance criteria and vehicle packaging to instruct the creation of a vehicle concept that was best in class. Taking this concept, the design and engineering team combined the highest levels of creative design and engineering simulations, FEA and CFD, to create a vehicle that has received international acclaim in the high performance supercar market. Whilst mechanically the car demands more from the driver, technology enhances vehicle feedback which is overlayed with driver biometrics to provide a holistic driving experience. The result is a performance oriented supercar which is currently unrivalled on the track.

The vehicle’s balance of form and function whilst embracing the longstanding brand ethos of engineering excellence and innovation, coupled with demonstrable performance, has re-established the marque on the world platform. The BT62 has helped reposition Australian automotive manufacturing as a niche vehicle segment participant which has been well received locally and internationally, with media engagement and requests for attendance at automotive and motorsport events. The long term impact will be borne out, as future variants go to market. This will leverage off the short term impact of the relaunch of the marque and the success of the BT62.

The design and engineering of the BT62 involves the use of advance materials and a multi-skilled workforce, which has allowed the owners of the Company to look at their application across other portfolio businesses, such as buses and alternative mobility projects. In-house composite capabilities have been applied to light-weighting bus architecture and supercar heat management tools are used in managing engine degradation in a public transport environment. The design team behind Brabham are working on the future designs of public mobility in league with engineering solutions focused on driveline and in-vehicle technology advancements. The vehicle CAD has been used to develop VR/AR tools for customer engagement and for use in gaming applications e.g. CSR2. In parallel with the vehicle development we designed a new brand identity – the emblem is an amalgam of the Repco “V” in the 1960’s emblem and the hissing side emblem of the 1970s/80s; the modernisation of the iconic green and gold colorway is a nod to the heritage; the creative platform of “pioneering your limits” encompasses the vehicle, the driver and the business. Originally designed as a track-only car the Company has now developed a road compliant conversion kit for Europe and Australia.