We’ve all seen fly-by-night supercar startups that make outlandish claims at their static presentations, but never seem to make it to production. Yeah, we’re looking at you, Devel Sixteen. But Rodin and its crazy FZERO appear to have made the transition, if not quite to the showroom, yet, then at least to the true development stage.
Dynamic testing of the FZERO has just kicked off in New Zealand’s South Island, where, thanks to the country’s location, the weather is a fair bit more pleasant than it is for many of us living in the northern hemisphere right now. The team released a set of images of the car, plus a video of company CEO and the car’s design and engineering overlord, David Dicker, taking to the track for the first time.
Tech billionaire Dicker is apparently a keen racer, the company says, though we think that might be underselling the guy’s passion considering he set out to build a track-day weapon that could lap a circuit quicker than an F1 car. Yes, crazy as it sounds, that’s what the company promised at the static reveal last year. And when you look at the quoted spec, which hasn’t been diluted by the need to meet any FIA regulations, you can see why that might not be as fanciful as it sounds.
Related: New Zealand’s Rodin FZERO Is Going Into Production With 4,000 KG Of Downforce
Rodin says the all-carbon FZERO weighs only 698 kg (1,540 lbs) and is capable of generating a staggering 4,000 kg (8,820 lbs) of downforce, though at what speed, we don’t know. We do know, however, that it has a projected top speed of 224 mph (360 km/h) and that it is powered by a 1,013 hp (1,027 PS) 4.0-liter twin-turbo V10 of Rodin’s own design, assisted by a 130 kW (174 hp / 177 PS) electric motor working directly on the crankshaft.
The company wants to make this engine available as a crate motor for motorsport applications, which makes us wonder whether that’s the true goal here, and that the FZERO mainly exists to get eyeballs on the powertrain project. Either way, Rodin seems determined to see the car through to production, having promised last year that it would build only 27 examples. The relatively modest track speeds seen in the video suggest there’s a way to go yet, but Rodin’s boss seems happy with the progress.
“While there’s a long road ahead of testing and development, running the FZERO for the first time gives me immense pride in what everyone at Rodin Cars has achieved in bringing this programme to life,” Dicker said. “The test went very well and we were able to work through our programme. We’re excited as the FZERO project enters its next phase. It really is a car like no other.”
