The Rodin FZed Is A Track Car That Lets You Live Out Your F1 Dreams

Imagine this scenario. You’re in your 40s or 50s. You have stacks of money. As a kid, you dreamed of being an F1 driver. It’s way, way too late to make that a reality, so buying an actual F1 car as a track toy could be a solution. But even for you, that’s a little too expensive and much too complex.

The next best thing, then, is the Rodin FZed. Pitched by its New Zealand creators as an alternative to buying a retired single-seater racing car, it’s built around a carbon composite chassis, and powered by a 3.8-litre Cosworth V8 that will happily rev to 10,500rpm.

You might be getting a sense of deja vu right now, and there’s a good reason why: the FZed started life as the Lotus T125. A chap called David Dicker bought the failed project in 2016, developing the car into the machine you see here.

For $615,000 (plus taxes and delivery), you’re getting a car that promises to provide an “F1-type experience,” along with a comprehensive long-term support package to help keep the car running. The price also includes a training programme to ensure you get the most out of it.

And you’ll be wanting that training. With a weight figure under 600kg, the power-to-weight ratio is well over 1000bhp/tonne. The V8 sends its power to the rear-most OZ wheels and their Avon slick tyres via a six-speed sequential gearbox built by Ricardo, while the four-way adjustable dampers are supplied by Ohlins. It’s built from proper stuff, in other words.

It’s also built to last. Well, as far as these sort of cars go. The mid-mounted Cosworth engine is good for 3000 miles between rebuilds, and unlike an old Arrows F1 car or similar you’ve snapped up at auction, spare parts are going to be easy to sort.

If any owners get bored of playing by themselves, that’s not a problem - the FZed is eligible for entry in a smattering of race series.

Would it be your rich person’s plaything of choice, or would your money go elsewhere?