New Zealand’s stunningly quiet South Island has recently echoed with a rousing sound. Roadin Cars FZero Hypercar. The FZero concept was first revealed to the world last year, and now the New Zealand designed and built hypercar has entered its testing and development phase. Driving the FZero on the brand’s own test track marks a major milestone not just for the FZero project, but for road cars as a whole. After the successful creation of the FZero open-wheel, single-seater track car, Rodin Cars’ next project, the FZero, is even more ambitious!
The FZero project is designed and built from Rodin Cars’ state-of-the-art factory near Mount Lyford in New Zealand’s incredibly beautiful South Island. The facility includes three purpose-built test circuits and a high-tech manufacturing facility. The driving force behind the road cars and the designer behind the FZERO and its bespoke twin-turbocharged V10 is David Dicker; Tech billionaire and avid racing driver.
David Dicker Personally got behind the wheel of the FZero for its first drive and was very impressed with the performance and durability of the car. While there is still a long way to go in terms of testing and development, driving the FZero for the first time makes me extremely proud of what everyone at Rodin Cars has accomplished in bringing this project to life. The test went very well and we were able to complete our project completely. We are excited as the FZero project enters its next phase. It really is a car like no other.
After several installation laps, the FZero returned to the road’s car pit complex for a debriefing and systems check, before the hypercar returned to the track to drive the remainder of the day, recording first place in several crucial development kilometres.
Several Rodin Cars employees lined the track during their lunch break to catch a glimpse of the FZero in action. Commenting on the experience, Rodin Cars General Manager Emma Duncan said: “It was an inspiring moment to see the FZero effortlessly take to the track. The car represents engineering excellence and is truly a masterpiece. This is an important development for the future of road cars.
The closed-cockpit FZero hypercar promises insane levels of performance and dynamics and will challenge established hypercars from Aston Martin, Gordon Murray Automotive and Mercedes-AMG. FZero’s primary focus is to harness the raw emotion of speed and visceral performance to deliver a driving experience like no other.
The FZero is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V10 engine designed by Rodin Cars founder and CEO David Dicker. Called the RC.TEN, the engine produces 1013 hp (755 kW) at 9500 rpm, while using only 11 psi of boost. A naturally aspirated version of RC.TEN is currently in development. The RC.TEN will take the FZERO to a top speed of 360 kmph.
After Neil Brown Engineering built two prototype engines in Great Britain, development and production of the RC.TEN moved in-house at Rodin Cars. In a further development, Rodin Cars plans to offer the RC.TEN as a crate engine for applications.
Who is Rodin Auto?
Rodin Cars is a growing high-tech, high-performance car manufacturer that builds the ultimate track cars for the world’s most serious drivers and racers. The company reflects the lifelong vision of founder David Dicker, CEO and Chairman of leading Australian IT company Dicker Data. After years of perfecting the design of the single-seat racing car, the Rodin FZero was officially launched in 2016 with a full-time engineering staff based in New Zealand’s South Island.
The program was expanded with the simultaneous acquisition of the nearly mature Lotus T125 program. This lotus project is also an initiative of David Dicker. Rodin Cars has been refining and perfecting the open wheel vehicle concept for three years. Today, the vehicle has been redesigned and rebadged as the Rodin FZed. Rodin Cars’ high-tech engineering and manufacturing center is located on 550 hectares in the hills north of Christchurch, with three custom-built test tracks. The company’s European headquarters are located at the famous Donington Park in Great Britain, where Rodin’s FZed holds the unofficial lap record on the national circuit.
As well as developing the next generation of young engineers, Dicker also supports young driving talent: Red Bull Junior Team racer and FIA Formula 2 race winner and now F1 debutant Liam Lawson, Australian karting champion Costa Toparis who competed in the British F3 Championship. 2023 Championship and newly crowned 2023 British F4 Champion Lewis Sharp. So David Dicker is active on all (motorsport) fronts and we will undoubtedly go further Ask him a lot…
Rodin Cars represents the lifelong vision of founder David Dicker, CEO and President of leading Australian IT company Dicker Data.
In the video below we have Redbull/AlphaTauri F1 driver Liam Lawson attempting to break New Zealand lap records at two race circuits in the southern hemisphere with his locally made Rodin FZED. From a single-seater that started life as a 2012 Lotus Type 125 concept car, Rodin founder David Dicker took over the project in 2016 and, along with his production and engineering staff, redesigned it into this ultra-fast Cosworth V8-powered Rodin. FZED. Built entirely at Rodin Car’s state-of-the-art facilities in Mt Lyford, New Zealand, the Rodin FZED was driven by Lawson to demonstrate just how fast this old-generation Formula 1-style car is. The driver broke his official lap record. Filmed in 2022, this documentary takes you behind the scenes of Rodin’s FZED summer tour as you explore and uncover the background to Liam’s global success. Exclusive interviews give a new perspective and appreciation for a boy named Pukekohe who dreams of one day becoming a Formula 1 driver. This documentary is fully funded and produced by MoMac | Exclusively produced by www.momac.co.nz. Enjoy the video for over 20 minutes:
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