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Brabham BT62 2019: $1.8m hypercar to get road-legal upgrade

The Brabham Automotive BT62 track car will be offered with a road-legal conversion pack in the UK, with the brand to introduce a similar option in Australia in the near future.

The $1.8m BT62 could be one the fastest cars on our roads, with the Australian-designed and Adelaide-built monster powered by a mid-mounted 5.4-litre V8 good for 522kW and 667Nm.

And while those numbers alone might not be super impressive, they should prove more than enough when combined with the BT62's carbon-fibre body, which caps its weight at just 927kg. Brabham is yet to confirm offical sprint and top speed numbers, but we suspect it will be very fast indeed.

The brand's Road Compliance Conversion is currently only being offered in the UK, but the brand says it is planning a similar upgrade for its Australian customers, promising that "a similar process is being undertaken in Australia and Brabham Automotive will aim to fulfill requests for a similar conversion in other jurisdictions".

The pack adds another £150,000 ($267k) to the BT62's formidable asking price, with the car to undergo full testing by the relevant government body, while the track car's ride height will be raised via a front and rear axle lift. More steering lock range will be added, too, along with the fitment of air-conditioning, door locks and extra interior upholstery.

But Brabham is promising that, while there will obviously be an increase weight, there will be no change to the engine's outputs.

“We designed the BT62 to be an unrestricted, thoroughbred track car and our extensive test programme has revealed it to be all of those things," says Brabham Automotive MD David Brabham, the son of Aussie F1 ace Jack Brabham.

"This isn’t a car designed for the road. With that said, it’s clear some customers are keen to have a road compliant option with their BT62, particularly to drive to and from the track. My father Jack was always customer focused and we will continue with that ethos."

Does the BT62 appear on your wish list? Tell us in the comments below.

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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