Rodin FZero, a new 1,159 CV "hypercar" that could easily be the Batmobile

You may never have heard of Rodin Cars, a small handcrafted manufacturer based in New Zealand whose catalogue, until now, has included only the F-Zed, a Formula 1-style single-seater intended for private customers for track-day sessions. Now it presents its second model, the FZero, also inspired by Formula 1 and likewise designed for use on the circuit only.

The FZero owes its name to the philosophy behind its design: zero limitations. You can imagine, then, that Rodin Cars’ intention is to achieve savage performance. The FZero has no restrictions; its entire focus is on maximum output to become the fastest vehicle on the track and, why not, the rarest too, because only 27 units will be built worldwide, and if the deadlines are met, they will be fully completed next year.

As you might guess, one of the premises for achieving the goal of being the fastest is to be as light as possible, which is why the FZero is built entirely from carbon fibre to achieve a featherweight 698 kg. These parts, by the way, are manufactured by Rodin Cars itself, undoubtedly a great achievement considering that this is a vehicle with overall dimensions of 5,500 mm in length and a width of 2,200 mm, so as you can see, it is not exactly small.

Under its engine cover is one of those engines whose wail makes anyone tremble. It is a 4,000 cc twin-turbo V10 block developed and built by Rodin and Neil Brown Engineering, which weighs just 132 kg, making it the lightest V10 ever built. According to the company’s data, and with the help of an energy unit, this engine delivers a power output of 1,159 CV together with a tremendous torque of 1,026 Nm, and it can rev up to an exciting 10,000 rpm. Connected to the engine is an eight-speed gearbox whose titanium casing has been 3D printed, achieving a ridiculous weight of just 66 kg.

To bring all this power to a halt, the Rodin FZero uses a 320 mm carbon disc braking system on both axles, together with six-piston titanium calipers at the front and four-piston calipers at the rear, which can also provide regenerative braking for the engine’s electric unit. For contact with the road, it uses wheels signed by OZ Racing, 14 inches wide at the front and 16 inches at the rear.

For now, Rodin has not specified much more concrete details of its specifications, nor its price, though it will surely be quite high, since the company’s ultimate goal is for it to be faster on track than a current Formula 1 car. Given what is already known and its 360 km/h top speed, it could certainly be a tough contender in skilled hands at the wheel.