No limits for hypercar

New Zealand performance car manufacturer Rodin Cars is on target to release its FZERO hypercar next northern summer.

Three years after it first revealed the FZERO, the company released more production details, including specs, a release date and the public unveiling of major completed vehicle components at its showroom at Donington Park in the UK.

Rodin’s most ambitious car yet, the FZERO follows the FZED which aimed to deliver a driver experience aligned with that of a modern Formula One car. 

David Dicker, the founder of Rodin Cars, says the FZERO takes that a step further and aims to offer the ultimate in track performance and be the fastest car around the track. It has been engineered to lap a circuit faster than a current Grand Prix Formula One racer.

Capable of speeds exceeding 360kph, it is being built for drivers looking for the fastest experience available on-track, without the limitations of road or racing regulations.

Dicker, pictured below, says building a car without such restrictions means it can be developed without limits, allowing for performance that would otherwise be unobtainable. 

“The Rodin FZERO is the physical representation of the ultimate heights in vehicle performance.

“Without the restrictions of building to a set of rules, we can make the car lighter, more powerful, and produce significantly more downforce. The only real restrictions we face are the laws of physics and we have even pushed those to the absolute limit.”

Customers will be able to customise specific aspects of the car based on their driving style and the track they will drive on. They will also have access to custom racewear services, vehicle storage and delivery, and full driver training at Rodin’s private racetracks.

Based in New Zealand, Dicker has crafted Rodin Cars from the ground up at what he says is possibly the most technically advanced vehicle manufacturing facility in the world. 

On a remote 550-hectare property in the South Island, the site has a manufacturing plant, a build facility, world-leading 3D printing resources and three test tracks.

Rodin will have just 27 FZEROs available to buyers by next year’s northern summer.

As the car is made to attack lap times, the emphasis of the FZERO is on weight and airflow aerodynamics. The chassis is constructed nose-to-tail of carbon fibre composite, with all components manufactured on site at Rodin Cars.

The engine is designed and developed from the ground up by Rodin Cars and in conjunction with engine manufacturer Neil Brown Engineering, the FZERO is powered by a 4.0-litre V10 twin-turbo engine with the assistance of an electric power unit. This is paired with a bespoke gearbox unit manufactured in conjunction with Ricardo UK that gives the FZERO eight gears while only adding just under 66kg.

Weighing just 698kg, the FZERO is ultra-responsive to minimal braking force. However, the car has been equipped with front and rear 380mm PFC Carbon-Carbon brakes, with Titanium callipers (six-piston front and four-piston rear). The braking system has ABS and traction control. The brakes also offer regenerative braking from the hybrid system.

The wheels are a bespoke set of 18-inch forged magnesium rims, manufactured in conjunction with OZ Racing and produced to F1 standards. The rims are 18-inch x 14-inch at the front and 18-inch x 16-inch at the rear. Covering the wheels are tyres made of a race-spec, full-slick compound developed by Avon and they can be changed depending on weather. 

Adding to the impressive performance of the car are the massive wings and floor of the FZERO that can produce up to 4000kg of downforce.