Folks who picture the Red Bull car as a chopped-up Mini carrying a giant can are in for a surprise. The company that made the drink you mixed with vodka in college has taken a seat at the table of hypercar manufacturers by leveraging the lessons learned from nearly 20 years of Formula One racing. Called RB17, the first Red Bull model made its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed with 1,200 horsepower.
Adrian Newey, the Red Bull Formula One team’s chief technical officer, played a significant role in developing the RB17. The car looks like it was shaped by the wind: It’s low, wide, and it wouldn’t look out of place on the starting grid of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The technical details released by the company are vague; all we know is that it’s powered by a mid-mounted, naturally-aspirated V10 engine that has a 15,000-rpm redline. The engine spins the rear wheels via a carbon fiber transmission, and the RB17 is built around a carbon fiber monocoque.
The 10-cylinder’s output becomes even more impressive when you consider that the RB17 weighs under 2,000 pounds. Put another way, it’s over 400 pounds lighter than a Mazda MX-5 Miata yet it has more than six times the power. Performance specifications aren’t available yet, but Red Bull promises that its first hypercar posts lap times on par with a Formula One car and has a top speed of over 217 mph.
Red Bull will build 50 units of the RB17, though pricing hasn’t been announced. An earlier report claims each car costs £5 million, which represents approximately $6.4 million at the current conversion rate and allegedly includes maintenance. The brand notes every example will be unique because buyers will be invited to customize numerous details including the paint color, the upholstery, and the interior materials. Owners will also have the opportunity to participate in events such as RB17-only track days on well-known circuits all over the world.
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