You may never see one on the road but the entire motorsport world is talking about Adelaide’s latest car project

RICH playboys and girls are likely to snap up the first production run of 70 Adelaide-made BT62s, but underneath the glamour is a workhorse which could reignite Australia’s global motorsport ambition.

• Brabham’s beast to live at Tailem’s Bend
• David Brabham relaunches Brabham brand in SA

LIKE a lot of boys, David Brabham just wants to do what dad did.

But that is far more easily dreamt than done.

At age 40 in 1966, Australian Sir Jack Brabham suited up at the beginning of the Formula One season and began a sporting feat which nobody expects to ever be achieved again.

By the end of the season he was the F1 champion — in a car he designed and built.

David Brabham’s ambition on paper seems the lesser of the two, but the passage of time and the technical complexity of motorsport in the modern era makes it if not equal, also remarkable.

He wants to win the GT class at Le Mans, which for the uninitiated can be seen as F1 with mud guards and toned-down cars which can run for 24 hours without blowing up.

“My father won the Formula One World Championship in a car of his own construction — it would be fantastic if I could do the same and win Le Mans in a car of my own construction,’’ David Brabham told The Advertiser.

Brabham Automotive: Technical specs for BT62. Picture: Supplied

The good news is that the BT62 will be made here in Edinburgh Parks, its home track will be at Tailem Bend, and the lifeline it offers to those deserted by Holden’s departure will also be here in SA.

The bad news is that other than having four wheels, the Holden Commodore and BT62 have nothing in common, including the later’s tiny production run of 70 vehicles for the world’s rich and famous.

But there is great pride to be had for the city’s still-beating manufacturing heart. To call the BT62 a supercar doesn’t do it justice — it should be called something like a “Megacar”.

A $300,000 road-going Mercedes, Audi, Aston Martin or Porsche will accelerate from 0km/h to 100km/h in about 4 seconds, about 1.5 seconds slower than the BT62.