Based in New Zealand vehicle tracking Expert Rodin has revealed his first pre-order model, the FZero, which founder David Dicker says will be the fastest car on earth.
And although the first 30 Rodin FZeros will be race-only, Dicker has confirmed that a road version will follow shortly, along with Rodin’s first. fully electric That model is also intended for on-road use.
With an expected price tag of around £1.8m and a top speed of 223mph, the FZero has been developed free of any rules or regulations to allow Dicker’s bold claims to come true. . Dicker told Auto Express: “It’s built for the track, faster than an F1 car. “No limits, no rules.”
The car is being built to Dicker’s own specifications, with a twin-turbo hybrid offering a total of 1,160 hp and 1,026 Nm of torque developed by British company Neil Brown Engineering. Another well-known British company, Ricardo is offering an eight-speed transmission with a 3D printed titanium case.
Many other parts are manufactured at Rodin’s newly built facility, complete with its own test track on New Zealand’s South Island, where the car will also be assembled.
The first FZeros are expected to be available to customers in 2023. “If we can’t build a customer car, say within the next 12 months, for example, I’m going to be very disappointed,” said Dicker. speak.
Following on from the road cars FZero will be Rodin’s first all-electric model. “It’s in the design,” says Dicker. “Ricardo is transmitting. It is almost completed. And we have some people working on batteries, this is nearing completion. So all we’re left with is carbon work and mechanical tools, and you’re basically there. So it makes a lot of sense.
“Our aim was to try to bring some entertainment value out of the car. And I still think there’s still hope. It is very problematic in terms of sound, because audio provides a lot of entertainment features in the car. Our electric motor runs at 25,000 rpm so there can be hope.
“We have two gears – we just really use that for entertainment value, because we don’t really need any gears.”
Electric vehicles will likely follow in the footsteps of the FZero into production in New Zealand by 2024.
Q&A with David Dicker
Australian-born Dicker made millions through computer retail company Dicker Data and fulfilled a lifelong ambition by founding Rodin in 2016. The 69-year-old Dicker is a part-time, former racer. win in a class Ferrari Challenge in 2018 and own your own big car collection.
Q: Why would someone spend £1.8m on a Rodin rather than a car from an older brand?
A: Well, they’ll get a better car. That’s reality. But yeah, look, I wouldn’t say it won’t matter. Of course it is. I mean, if you go to the other end of the scale with Ferrari. I mean, whatever they make, it’s sold, it’s all done. It doesn’t matter what and, yes, you have to work your way up. So we understand it.
Q: How much work have you done on FZero yourself?
A: I designed the entire car on the computer – the whole thing. I wrote the one page specs for the engine and transmission and all that. And I did all the CFD work myself.
Q: Will FZero go racing?
A: We have our own racing project, but I can’t talk about it right now. It will become the cataclysm in the motorsport world if we can.
Q: What is your inspiration for the design of FZero?
A: I want to mix things up a bit, because I think it has become boring. I mean, McLarena perfect example – the cars are great, I have several but they are all the same.
Q: Why did you establish Rodin in New Zealand?
A: You can’t do that in Australia. I have a lot of problems with Australia and there is no car culture in Australia. The government and its gang just destroyed it. I was born in Sydney, grew up in Sydney and if you’re going to build a car you have to have a test track. You cannot survive any other way. And you’ve got to be very far from Sydney before you can actually build one, but then you’re so far away from the talent pool, it’s no use there. Culturally, New Zealand would probably be the closest country to the UK of any country in the world.
Q: Will Rodin join F1?
A: Formula One is the final formula. Even though the F1 guys hobble horribly [by regulation], still more innovation there and more interesting. I entered a bid to buy Williams, but the deal I proposed was unsuccessful.
Q: You are a Ferrari fan, how many do you have?
A: I have about 20 Ferraris and five on order – I’d rather buy than sell! My claim to Ferrari is that I still have every new Ferrari I ever bought.
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