Rodin and its crazy FZERO appear to have made the transition, if not quite to the showroom, yet, then at least to the true development stage. Dynamic testing of the FZERO has just kicked off in New Zealand’s South Island, where, thanks to the country’s location, the weather is a fair bit more pleasant than it is for many of us living in the northern hemisphere right now. The team released a set of images of the car, plus a video of company CEO and the car’s design and engineering overlord, David Dicker, taking to the track for the first time.
Tech billionaire Dicker is apparently a
keen racer, the company says, though we think that might be underselling the
guy’s passion considering he set out to build a track-day weapon that could lap
a circuit quicker than an F1 car. Yes, crazy as it sounds, that’s what the
company promised at the static reveal last year. And when you look at the
quoted spec, which hasn’t been diluted by the need to meet any FIA regulations,
you can see why that might not be as fanciful as it sounds.
Rodin says the all-carbon FZERO weighs
only 698 kg and is capable of generating a staggering 4,000 kg of downforce, though at what speed, we don’t know. We do know,
however, that it has a projected top speed of 360 km/h and that it is
powered by a 1,013 hp 4.0-liter twin-turbo V10 of Rodin’s own
design, assisted by a 174 hp electric motor working directly
on the crankshaft.
The company wants to make this engine
available as a crate motor for motorsport applications, which makes us wonder
whether that’s the true goal here, and that the FZERO mainly exists to get
eyeballs on the powertrain project. Either way, Rodin seems determined to see
the car through to production, having promised last year that it would build
only 27 examples. The relatively modest track speeds seen in the video suggest
there’s a way to go yet, but Rodin’s boss seems happy with the progress.
