It’s been more than three years in the making, and if you talk to anyone on the hypercar’s development team, they’ll tell you that bringing Adrian Newey’s Red Bull RB17 to life has been an exercise in patience as much as engineering. The reason is that Newey was involved in every facet of the car’s design, from mechanical to performance and, of course, styling. No expenses were spared in the making of this once-in-a-generation machine. And following Friday morning’s surprise unveiling at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, we can see why Newey was so hellbent on getting everything right. It’s a stunning-looking car promising incredible performance.
Not every detail was revealed, but we know the basics of Newey’s swansong project. The RB17 is a track-only, two-seater hypercar powered by a 4.5-liter, naturally aspirated Cosworth V10 engine, which produces around 1,000 horsepower. An electric motor adds around 200 hp to that equation, bringing the total power output to an estimated 1,200 hp. When pushed to its very limit, the power unit can rev to a staggering 15,000 rpm. And unlike most supercars and hypercars nowadays, it’s rear-drive only. No AWD here. The transmission was designed in-house by Red Bull (though the gears are provided by Xtrac) and is very similar in design to that of an F1 unit. However, it was specified that it does not feature a reverse gear, as the electric motor is used for backing up and creeping around at low speed.
In terms of handling, the RB17 sports aggressive aero, which is, of course, active. Newey tells Top Gear that although he didn’t set out to design an F1 car, “the aesthetic brain does kick in, maybe even subconsciously” while sketching the RB17’s shape. The car shown at Goodwood today is a model from last year, according to Newey, and the final version will be a bit smaller. Regardless, the legendary designer is promising upwards of 3,700 pounds of downforce at just 150 mph thanks to an F1-inspired floor. Another piece of hardware that’s also active is the suspension, something which was banned from F1 back in 1994. The active suspension is controlled by proprietary software and ties into the various chassis, traction control, and electronic stability modes.
The revolutionary tarmac attack vehicle will ride on 18-inch carbon fiber wheels—and because this is for track-only use—these can be fitted with Michelin slicks. An optional set of 20-inch wheels with treaded tires will also be offered to owners. Various seat sizes and pedal boxes will be available during the customization process to make sure drivers are safe and comfortable. While Newey says that the RB17 was designed to be enjoyed by people of varying degrees of driving experience and not only F1 drivers, you’ll certainly have to have an F1 driver-like income to maintain one. Red Bull can dispatch technicians to a customer’s location for minor adjustments, servicing intervals must be performed every 5,000 miles at Red Bull’s HQ.
Lastly, there’s no word on price, but that’s not entirely a surprise, is it? High-five to whoever was able to buy one of the 50 that will be produced.
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