Australian racing driver David Brabham, youngest son of three-time Formula One world champion Sir Jack Brabham and the brains behind Brabham Automotive, has parted ways with the investment group backing the brand, and the brand has dissolved, effective immediately. That means the exclusive $US1.2 million BT62 track special, the GT2-classed BT63, and the perpetually-on-the-way street-legal BT63R are no longer available for order. Like many other flash-in-the-pan low-volume supercar manufacturers before them, Brabham have collapsed like a week-old flan.
The BT62, a mid-engine carbon monocoque racer powered by a 691-horsepower Ford 5.4-liter modular V8, was introduced in 2018 and the first car was delivered to a customer in 2020. There were intended to be seventy examples built, though it doesn’t appear that the brand got anywhere near that number. It’s possible only single digit units of the BT62 and BT63 race car ever actually made it out the door.
While Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, and others are having record year after record year, it seems the track-only nature of the Brabham, and its incredible million-plus price tag pushed some potential buyers away. The automaker was looking at ways to join the tail end of the GTE class at Le Mans, but couldn’t get the program together in a COVID-rattled economic era.
“While it is regrettable that our relationship with Fusion Capital has come to an end,” says David Brabham, “the collaboration helped further ‘Brabham’ to a new and exciting future. With the brand license for Automotive ended, it opens the doors for future business ventures in the motorsport, automotive, and heritage sectors. I would personally like to thank everyone who contributed and supported to this project over the years.”