New Zealand has a new supercar manufacturer, Rodin Cars.
Founded by David Dicker, Rodin Cars has grown significantly in the last few years to the extent it is now the owner of the legendary Carlin team competing in Formulas 2 and 3.
Rodin was formed in 2016 as a self-funded effort by Dicker featuring a full-time engineering workforce to develop its single-seater FZERO.
Acquiring the Lotus T125 project was redesigned and re-engineered by Rodin’s team to become a second model in the range named the FZED.
The FZERO is an amazing piece of kit aimed for one thing as revealed by Dicker.
“The concept with the FZERO is to create a car that’s quicker than a current Formula 1. I wanted to build the lightest, most compact 4.0-litre 10-cylinder engine possible,” Dicker said.
“We’ve achieved that.”
Based on a 550-hectare station at Wandle Downs, Rodin enjoys a world-class testing and manufacturing facility purchased in 2006, while a new building was completed was opened in 2021 featuring state-of-the-art technology. The new factory includes the ability to manufacture carbon composite, titanium printing, design and electrical engineering in addition to the usual assembly, the production stages.
Leaving the factory is the FZERO, which is capable of 360km/h from a 1013bhp, 700Nm, Rodin twin-turbocharged RC.TEN V10.
Power is sent through an eight-speed sequential titanium gearbox using a 3D printed titanium case in a longitudinal layout.
The body is full carbon, which hides the carbon, titanium, double wishbone suspension featuring pushrod and rocker actuated springs, with adjustable ride height and camber.
In terms of the FZED, its top speed is estimated to be 300km/h using a Cosworth GPV8 producing 675bhp and 530Nm, which is sent through a six-speed sequential gearbox.
An open-wheel car in appearance, it is the ultimate.
There’s also the Sintura, which is a proper supercar as driven at the Repco Adelaide Motorsport Festival by Josh Buchan.
Rodin is pushing the limits and it’s not surprising New Zealand is the origin of this crazy manufacturer.