Up-and-coming New Zealand car manufacturer Rodin
Cars isn’t just developing a claimed ‘Valkyrie-beating’ hypercar, but has also
built a track-only weapon which it says is as fast as a current Formula 1 car.
Dubbed the FZED, it is based on the Lotus T125, a
near F1-spec racer which Hethel unveiled back in 2011 with the promise of
selling it to customers. It’s believed that only a small handful were ever
built and Rodin has decided to take one of them and create its own version.
Whether or not it will prove a success where its spiritual cousin wasn’t
remains to be seen.
The first thing to note about the FZED is that it is
powered by a 3.8-liter Cosworth V8 pumping out 675 HP at 9600 rpm. The New
Zealand company claims this engine is good for 4,828 km of use on
regular 98-octane fuel before it needs a rebuild. Like the T125, the FZED is
exceptionally light thanks to the liberal use of carbon fiber and weighs just
610 kg.
Rodin has called upon some of the industry’s finest
component manufacturers to produce various parts. For example, the six-speed
sequential transmission comes from Ricardo, the carbon fiber brakes are
courtesy of Brembo, the four-way adjustable dampers were designed by Ohlins,
and the racing wheels and tires are from Avon.
According to the company, the FZED will be sold to
“experienced and keen drivers who relish the opportunity for a near-F1
experience, without the cost, complexity and risk of owning an actual historic
Grand Prix car.” Prices start at a cool US$ 650,000. Not cheap, but a relative bargain
for getting F1-like levels of performance.
