Key Takeaways
- Lanzante confirms plans to make the track-only Red Bull RB17 road legal.
- The RB17 produces 1,200 horsepower courtesy of an electrified V10 engine.
- The road conversion will likely cost between $324,000-$649,000.
Last week, Adrian Newey unveiled the incredible Red Bull RB17, a razor-sharp hypercar limited to just 50 units. A toy for ultra-rich gearheads, it will never see public roads as it is a track-only machine. However, Lanzante has now said it will endeavor to make the RB17 road legal.
Speaking to Top Gear, company officials confirmed, “Early customers for the track-only model have engaged with Lanzante regarding the road conversion program, and work will start immediately to develop the necessary upgrades to allow it to be driven on public roads.”
A Road-Legal RB17? Yes Please!
That’s quite something. The RB17 is powered by an electrified 4.5-liter V10 that develops combined outputs of 1,200 horsepower. All that muscle is sent to the rear wheels via a carbon fiber six-speed transmission (first and reverse are handled by the electric motor). What makes the RB17 even more impressive is the fact that it weighs less than 2,000 lbs. Unleashing this level of performance on public roads must be terrifying (and challenging), but if anyone can do it, Lanzante is well qualified.
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Lanzante has plenty of experience in this area, having converted several race cars into road-legal machines. These include an F1 GTR, a Pagani Zonda Revolucion, a Huayra R, and, most recently, an incredible Porsche 935. “Following on from a bumper Goodwood Festival of Speed, British automotive engineering specialist Lanzante has confirmed it will work on road legalization of the newly announced Red Bull RB17,” commented the company.
“Lanzante will work closely with owners to develop a road legal version of the V10-powered RB17, ensuring the project stays true to the original design brief, allowing for optimized performance on track, but also useable on road.”
That’s A Big Price Tag
Don’t expect this work to come cheap, though. Lanzante hasn’t shared a final price for the conversation, but early estimates place it between £250,000-£500,000 ($324,000-$649,000). That’s an obscene amount of money, but it’s pocket change for people buying the RB17. The hypercar costs around $7.7 million, so adding another $650,000 is nothing. It’s also going to be a monumental challenge to make this happen, particularly given how low the full-length diffuser under the car runs.
Related
Red Bull’s $7.7 Million RB17 Hypercar Almost Had A Ford Badge
We heard from Christian Newey at Goodwood, and he’s told us the price and several other juicy details, including Ford turning down a big opportunity.
Interestingly, Adrian Newey has some ties to Lanzante. At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the CTO of Red Bull Racing was spotted wearing a Lanzante shirt and owns a car (unspecified, of course) that was built by the Petersfield-based firm. Given that Lanzante also looks after Newey’s personal Jaguar E-Type and Ford GT40, he clearly has plenty of faith in the outfit’s abilities. We’re delighted to know this is happening, as vehicles of this ilk deserve to be out on the road, whether it’s simply racing down to the corner deli or carving corners on a first-class circuit.
Source:
Top Gear
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