Brabham announces 'new chapter' with automotive brand

The announcement offers very few details on plans for the Brabham Automotive brand, although like Project Brabham, ex-F1 racer David Brabham is the driving force behind the programme.

The name suggests that this new venture isn't just focused on motorsport, leading to rumours that, like McLaren, the famous name could be used to market a road car division.

"Today marks the start of a new chapter for one of the most celebrated and evocative names in motor racing history, with the launch of Brabham Automotive," read the statement.

"Led by multiple Le Mans winner David Brabham, the announcement marks a continuation of the family's legacy that started with his father, triple Formula 1 world champion, Sir Jack Brabham.

"Today's launch heralds the start of a new chapter in the story of a family synonymous with success.

"Drawing on vast experience from four decades of competing at all levels of global motorsport, David Brabham has combined his skill, passion and enthusiasm to guide this project ahead of its unveiling."

Speaking to Autosport's sister title Motorsport.com in an exclusive Q&A last year about the original project, Brabham said: "We're a lot further ahead than we have been, and that's mainly because what we were trying to take to market in terms of investors was bloody difficult.

"We just didn't have enough... substance.

"It was an idea and a brand, but you needed a lot of money up front to get a race team up and running the way we wanted to do it. We were just hitting our head against the wall.

"We needed to change tact, so that's what we did, we swung it slightly the other way.

"And lucky we did that, because if we'd kept going it would have come to a grinding halt.

"Just before that happened, we took another direction - and that's proved to be very positive."