Light, bright: Brabham BT62 supercar teases its rear end

There's only two weeks left until Brabham Automotive unveils its first race-inspired road car, and its first teaser promises something bright.

The Brabham BT62 is the first car from new company Brabham Automotive, led by David Brabham, son of the legendary Formula One driver and team boss Jack Brabham. The BT62 will house a naturally aspirated 5.4-liter V8 that, in conjunction with its 972-kilogram curb weight, will pack a delightful power-to-weight ratio of 720 horsepower per metric tonne. For the math-averse out there, that translates to about 700 horsepower.

As if the teaser, with its giant wing and aggressive bodywork around the lights, didn't make the car seem serious enough, the brakes should. The BT62 will wield carbon-carbon brakes, which are currently used in F1 and were first introduced by -- surprise, surprise -- Brabham, all the way back in 1976.

Carbon-ceramic brakes, like the ones you hear about on modern sports cars, are similar to carbon-carbon brakes. The latter require very high temperatures in order to function optimally, relegating them to the track. Carbon-ceramics trade a bit of that track performance for the ability to work better on the street, but they still work best at higher operating temperatures. It appears Brabham Automotive is going hard in the paint on its brake choice, given that the BT62 will be road-legal.

Jack Brabham founded Motor Racing Developments (commonly referred to as just Brabham), which went on to win four Drivers' Championships and two Manufacturers' Championships in F1. Former staff include Bernie Ecclestone, Gordon Murray and current F1 race director Charlie Whiting. Brabham's various drivers through the years included luminaries such as Dan Gurney, Jacky Ickx, Graham Hill, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Damon Hill.