New Zealand based Rodin Cars has just released a single-seater track car for sale that it says can rival modern-era Grand Prix machines for pace while still maintaining a high level of reliability and durability.
The Rodin FZED has been readied for sale by Rodin Cars’ Australian founder and Ferrari Challenge class champion David Dicker, and he plans to offer the car to people who want to experience the intensity of near-F1 levels of on-track performance without the associated cost, complexity and risk.
The bare stats are impressive: powered by a 675hp Cosworth 3.8-liter GPV8 engine, the FZED will sprint to 100mph in just 5.0-seconds and have a top speed of 186mph. Based on the Lotus T125, the FZED is equipped with a six-speed sequential Ricardo gearbox, carbon Alcon brakes, TTX-40 racing Öhlins dampers and an in-house designed titanium exhaust system. Constructed of ultra-lightweight materials, the entire car weighs in at 1342lbs (609kg) excluding the driver.
Unlike Grand Prix cars, the Rodin FZED has also been engineered for longevity and durability, with the engine designed to run more than 3100 miles (5000 km) on pump fuel.
“Where a Grand Prix car is designed to run for just 185 miles/300 km or for two hours and then undergo a complete strip down, we see the Rodin FZED as being superior in terms of endurance as well as cost per lap,” Dicker said. “We have significant plans to expand Rodin Cars in the future. This is a serious, maximum high-performance track-car building business.”
The first five FZED cars are currently being assembled and all will be finished in the company’s corporate black and gold livery just like the car you see here. The car is already eligible for entry into the Formula Libre series in New Zealand as well as the BOSS series in Europe, and it is anticipated that the FZED will be accepted into many more open-wheel series in the near future.
Pricing for the Rodin FZED starts at $650,000 (£506,000) which compares favorably to new GT3 race cars while offering an even more focused driving experience. In the rarefied world of ultra-expensive track day cars, this surely must qualify as the type of gift you buy for the man or woman who already has everything.
Images courtesy of Rodin Cars
