Staggering Red Bull RB17 revealed at Goodwood
Adrian Newey's baby is here at last, complete with 15,000rpm V10, tonnes of downforce - and a £5m price tag
The idea of an Adrian Newey hypercar has been floating around for a while now, the mouthwatering prospect of an F1 design genius turning his hand to a car that the public (okay, billionaires) can drive is pretty hard to forget about. Once it seemed to be on, then maybe off, then the Valkyrie arrived to confuse matters some more and now, finally, there’s this, the RB17. A car that will lap racetracks as fast as a Formula 1 car, courtesy of 1,200hp, less than a tonne of weight, far more than a tonne of downforce and Newey’s expertise guiding development. This isn’t quite the finished article, though the Festival of Speed car is very close, with testing underway and a track debut set for next summer. Imagine it, say, doing demo laps at the British Grand Prix…
We’re getting ahead of ourselves, of course, though it’s easily done with a car like this. As you might expect, an F1 track would be just the place for it, complete with a 1,000hp 4.5-litre Cosworth V10 that’ll scream out of a 10-into-one exhaust at up to 15,000rpm. Apparently, the sound has been inspired by the McLaren MP4/15, a car that Newey reckons is the best-sounding F1 car of all time. And which he designed, of course.
The ICE serves as a semi-stressed member of the carbon chassis and is bolstered by a 200hp e-motor; it handles reverse and first gear, as well as providing the power boost and torque fill. Reportedly, the car was originally set to be a twin-turbo V8 with all-wheel drive - but rest assured, clearer heads prevailed, so the RB17 is purely rear-drive now. There’s going to be three Michelin tyres to choose from like it’s a proper F1 car, too. The gearbox is built by XTrac.
There’s kind of no end to the stupendous statistics. This thing is going to weigh less than 900kg, which undercuts even cars like the famously slight GMA T.50. The target is for 1,700kg of downforce at 150mph (the top speed is more than 217mph), with a significant amount of that generated by the underfloor; without motorsport rules holding development back, it could be made as extreme as possible. The RB17’s suspension is active and, while it doesn’t have to comply with any rules as a track-only monster, it’s said to have been built with Le Mans Hypercar safety rules in mind.
There will be 50 of these cars made, each of the incredibly lucky customers to be ‘welcomed into the Red Bull family with a full customer journey, including a range of track events giving owners the opportunity to experience some of the world’s greatest circuits.’ It’ll be a spectacular programme to be involved with, that’s for sure. Driver development will be provided, too, and Red Bull hasn’t forgotten the most important part of any hypercar purchase - paint to sample is possible. In fact, every aspect of the two-seat cabin can be tailored to their taste. Expect to see the completed driving environment later in the year, complete with staggered seating, knobs for adjusting aerodynamic features and enough equipment to ensure it doesn’t feel like just a prototype racer with a roof.
The man himself said quite modestly of the RB17: “ The RB17 Hypercar embraces everything we stand for: undeniable power, speed and beauty. It is very adaptable in its abilities, and we made sure to design it as a two seater so that the thrill of driving at F1 speeds can be enjoyed with a friend or partner.” There are going to be a good few pals crawling out of the woodwork when they find out you have one of these. All 50 of the RB17s will be built at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes HQ, priced at £5m a pop. Gotta be cheaper than getting an actual F1 car, right?
This has a slightly better power to weight of 1,300 vs. 1,250 for an F1 car, but with that huge difference in downforce, surely this will be a long way from actual F1 car performance?
Given that this isn't road legal, and has been designed 'without motorsport rules holding development back', how is it still not as fast as an F1 car, that is so often described as being hobbled by all the regulations?
Expect to see lots of cars with double figure mileage passing thru the auctions houses in years to come. It's really just an over-engineered automotive folly....
Expect to see lots of cars with double figure mileage passing thru the auctions houses in years to come. It's really just an over-engineered automotive folly....
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff