It has been shut to 2 years since Purple Bull revealed the RB17, a low-slung aerodynamic hypercar teased as able to producing practically twice its personal weight in downforce. Now, in 2026, we’re not too distant from the actual factor.
Designed by Adrian Newey, the identical man behind Formula 1-winning automobiles for Williams and McLaren, the RB17 is claimed to be quicker than any present F1 automobile on the market.
The hypercar has now entered its closing construct section, with closing meeting now underway in Milton Keynes, UK. Monitor testing will comply with forward of an official launch scheduled for spring 2027 (Northern Hemisphere), with buyer deliveries persevering with by to the tip of 2028.
Solely 50 items of the RB17 are set to be constructed, and each single one has already been allotted – regardless of a price ticket of round US$6.7 million.
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And there’s a great motive why.
The RB17 just isn’t merely one other hypercar within the typical sense. Fairly, it was conceived as a correct observe machine designed to ship the closest potential expertise to driving an actual Components 1 automobile. Its hypothetical lap time at Spa-Francorchamps is claimed to be round 1 minute 38 seconds – a couple of second quicker than a contemporary Components 1 automobile.
That efficiency comes courtesy of a 1,200-hp 4.5-liter V10 developed by Cosworth, paired with a 200-horsepower electrical motor and mated to an Xtrac gearbox. All of that energy is packed right into a automobile weighing simply 1,984 lb (900 kg).
The result’s a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of beneath 3 seconds and a high velocity of 217 mph (350 km/h).
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We’ve seen just a few hypercars command comparable value tags and produce equally astonishing energy outputs – the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro and Pagani Huayra R to call a few examples. However none of these automobiles are supposed to face toe-to-toe with a Components 1 automobile. The RB17, on paper a minimum of, is designed to do precisely that – and doubtlessly even beat one on lap time.
After which there’s the rumor that hypercar modifier Lanzante is creating a $600,000 conversion equipment that will make the RB17 highway authorized, although it’s exhausting to think about many house owners selecting to commute in a single.
Visually, the RB17 has modified little or no from its unique reveal. Deep facet channels direct airflow towards the rear, whereas a compact entrance aero part manages airflow throughout the bodywork. There’s additionally an enormous diffuser and a high-mounted rear wing built-in into the rear body.
The exhaust is housed inside a central backbone working down the engine cowl, with gases channeled beneath the wing to extend aerodynamic load. In keeping with RB17 technical director Rob Grey, the automobile’s adaptive suspension system offers “a pleasant secure platform” and managed journey top whereas producing as much as 3,747 lb (1,700 kg) of downforce.
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The inside is simply as fancy as the outside. Inside is a compact, race-inspired cabin that includes “knobs and thumbwheels, not screens,” as Grey explains. The 2-seat format positions the passenger subsequent to however barely behind the driving force, serving to the cockpit really feel extra spacious than its dimensions counsel.
Entering into the RB17 is unconventional, too. As an alternative of gullwing or butterfly doorways, the automobile makes use of front-hinged doorways that swing ahead, permitting occupants to face on the seat and successfully “drop into the automobile.”
The RB17 feels much less like a automobile and extra like Adrian Newey lastly being allowed to take away the handbrake from his creativeness. No FIA laws, no balance-of-performance politics, no value caps – simply considered one of Components 1’s best designers constructing the type of machine engineers most likely sketch on napkins after just a few drinks earlier than dismissing it as unattainable the subsequent morning. In some way, Red Bull really determined to construct it.
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And all of this arrives at a time when a lot of the automotive trade is shifting towards electrification and growing digitalization. The RB17 clearly exhibits that manufacturers like Purple Bull are nonetheless keen to pursue a unique method – one centered on driving expertise, aerodynamics and mechanical purity. And I’m all for it!
By way of: Autocar UK
