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As part of an ambitious project revealed at the team’s Milton Keynes factory on Tuesday, the car has been created by the F1 team’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey.
The two-seat hypercar, developed for track use, will have a strictly limited run of 50 and has been designed for ultimate performance.
The ground-effect car will be powered by a V8 turbo hybrid that produces more than 1100bhp - and is targeted to be near the performance of an F1 car.
As well as owning the cars, collectors will have access to Red Bull’s simulator facilities, vehicle program development and track training.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said: “The RB17 marks an important milestone in the evolution of Red Bull Advanced Technologies, now fully capable of creating and manufacturing a series production car at our Red Bull Technology Campus.
“Further, the RB17 marks the first time that a car wearing the Red Bull brand has been available to collectors.”
Newey added: “The RB17 distills everything we know about creating championship-winning Formula 1 cars into a package that delivers extreme levels of performance in a two-seat track car.
“Driven by our passion for performance at every level, the RB17 pushes design and technical boundaries far beyond what has been previously available to enthusiasts and collectors.”
“It’s tremendously exciting,” Horner added in an event at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes campus on Tuesday.
“We’ve been on this journey together for 17 seasons now. It does feel like the next chapter for the company, for the business, for what we’re doing. It’s been a hell of a journey so far. We’ve got the powertrains coming on-stream as well, we’ve got Advanced Technologies going from strength to strength, and we’ve got this awfully exciting car.”
The RB17 will fit into the lineage of the F1 cars produced by the team, having skipped over the denomination when COVID-19 forced a carryover in parts that meant the 2021 car was called the RB16B.
"With this car having true Formula 1 performance, it felt right that it fall in that lineage and have that 17 moniker,” Horner said.
“It’s great to see that Adrian’s enthusiasm is totally undiminished for a project like this. It’s a great project for the whole company as well. Applying Formula 1 methodology and timing to it as well, that was one frustration of working with partners and so on, you weren’t in control of your own destiny.
“With this, we’ve taken control of our own destiny. It’s a brave project, but everything that Red Bull does is pretty brave. It’s tremendously exciting to be in control of this project from start to finish without being a customer, which we haven’t had to deal with before.”
Designed and manufactured at Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the RB17 track car features a two-seat carbon fiber monocoque chassis with a semi-stressed mid-mounted V10 engine and a carbon fiber gearbox that drives the rear wheels. It weighs less than 900kg (just below 2000lb) and claims a top speed in excess of 218 mph. Just 50 of the cars will be sold.
“I had been mulling around the idea to take on the challenge to design our very own Hypercar, from concept to delivery, for many years and it has been a magnificent project and journey,” said Newey.
“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.”
According to Red Bull, RB17 owners will enjoy a “full customer journey” within Red Bull, along with opportunities to drive on some of the “world’s greatest circuits.” Clients will be able to specify exterior colors, along with customization options for some elements of the interior. Driver training also comes as part of the package.
Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner described the RB17 as “a future classic.”
“With 20 years of legacy in the world of F1 to draw from, and as a performance-centered organization, it only made sense for us to design our own hypercar from the ground up,” he said.
“Combining technical innovation, achievement and emotional appeal, the RB17 is a landmark car. I’m very proud of the team and am delighted to see it make its world debut.”
I searched for threads for this using the "advanced search" and didn't find anything. Must not have searched in "Automotive News" (only in "Car Talk" and "Motorsports").
06-28-2022, 04:23 PM
