Brabham (Australia) - AllCarIndex

Brabham was a high-performance sports car brand that emerged in Australia during the mid-1980s. The brand was named after the renowned World Championship racing driver Jack Brabham, who was well-known among automotive enthusiasts. The name had previously been associated with a performance version of the Holden Torana in the late 1960s.

The Brabham project was initiated in 1985 by a design team consisting of Cliff Trefry and Bob and Wai Hadley. This group had previously worked on a prototype known as the TRIAD, which, despite not reaching production, garnered interest from Jack Brabham and a group of promoters. Building on the expertise gained from the TRIAD project, the team developed a new sports coupe featuring a composite unitary structure designed to accommodate unstressed fiberglass panels.

The proposed Brabham sports car was equipped with a Holden 5-litre V8 engine, which could be paired with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. It featured independent suspension, rack and pinion steering, and ventilated disc brakes. The car's design included a wide body measuring 75 inches (1900 mm), flush glass, a targa top, and the capability for easy conversion between right-hand drive and left-hand drive configurations. However, after a year of development, it became clear that the necessary financial backing for production was not forthcoming, leading to the project's eventual discontinuation.