British-based Prodrive is a group well-versed in what it takes to make a race-winning rally car. For instance, back in 1995, Prodrive prepared and ran Colin McRae’s Subaru Impreza in an effort that would earn him the World Rally Championship title — a feat that would later be repeated by Richard Burns in 2001 and again in 2003 by Petter Solberg. Oh, and in 2013, Prodrive developed the Global Rallycross Championship-winning MINI RX, a car that took the win in its debut performance.
And now Prodrive is now turning its attention to Dakar. In partnership with ex-Jaguar design lead Ian Callum, the motorsport specialist has developed an ultra-rugged rally car they’re calling the BRX T1. Under the hood, it’s powered by a 3.5L twin-turbo Ford V6 good for 400hp and 516ft-lb of torque. Mated to a six-speed sequential racing transmission, it directs power to all four wheels through its front, center, and rear differentials. And in order to make sure that the BRX can withstand the rigors of the Dakar Rally, it’s been built around a high-tensile steel tubular chassis and covered in carbon fiber body panels. At 4,079lbs, it’s no lightweight, but then again, neither are the challenges standing in its way.
