By: Tycho de Feijter for 6th Gear Automotive Solutions.
Beijing, April 2018
Brembo has unveiled a ultra light brake caliper especially developed for supercars. The Italian brake system manufacture says that the new design saves 400 gram per wheel, a significant number for a supercar where every gram counts.
Brembo also claims the design has the highest weight-to-stiffness ratio ever for a cast aluminium caliper: compared to other calipers with the same stiffness, it is an impressive 8% lighter.
Some of the weight savings were realized by cutting excess material from the caliper. Brembo did this by using ‘topology optimization’ software, allowing the company to simulate the stiffness of every component, thereby exposing unnecessary materials.
This in turn lead to the unconventional design of the caliper, which, according to Brembo, looks like a Batarang (Batman’s favourite weapon). The first supercar to use the new brake calipers is the Pagani Huayra Roadster, a 764 hp $2.4 million spaceship limited to 100 units.
Brembo has long been the brake system supplier of choice for supercar makers. Besides Pagani its customers include Aston Martin, Ferrari, Ford (GT), Lamborghini, Porsche, and Rimac.