A single seat Rodin FZED race car made its first appearance in the UK at Donnington Park, while the company continues to develop a UK-based 5000 square meter “customer facility” on the same track. This will eventually be able to showcase both of the company’s cars: the existing FZED and the upcoming FZERO.
Exact details on the latter are still scarce, but we do know that this is an enclosed cockpit racing car that is popular with potential customers and receives 10-15 inquiries per week.
Despite the name, the FZERO is not an electric version of the FZED. Instead, it will run a 4.0-liter V10 ICE engine being developed by Neil Brown Engineering in Spalding, with an initial test bench planned for late August.
However, Rodin’s engineering, test and construction facilities will continue to be largely based in New Zealand, where the team recently installed the largest 3D printer in the world.
Although Rodin is pushing FZERO development and eventually plans to build 30 cars a year, the FZED continues to be sold. The latter features a 3.8-liter Cosworth V8 that produces 675 horsepower and 361 lb ft in a car that weighs just 609 kg.
Despite the high horsepower and 10,000 RPM red line, Rodin claims the Cosworth can travel 3,100 miles between conversions.
The UK showroom is also an opportunity for Rodin to demonstrate his claim that the FZED, despite its appearance, is not a difficult car for customers, which David Dicker, CEO and founder of Rodin, wanted to emphasize: “After years of development and thousands from test kilometers on Rodin’s own racetracks in New Zealand, we established the Rodin FZED as one of the fastest open-wheel racing cars in the world. In addition, we have also made sure that it is easy to drive and that amateur drivers have a real foretaste of open-wheel motorsport at the highest level. “
Red Bull Junior Liam Lawson put the car to its first test in the northern hemisphere. The 19-year-old F2 and DTM driver also comes from New Zealand, so he has already gained experience with the FZED: “It was great to be in the Rodin FZED again. I had forgotten how fast the car is, but I immediately felt at home and noticed how manageable the car is to drive at the limit. I didn’t want to stop and drove almost more laps than I was allowed to. “
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