Q&A: David Dicker, Founder of Rodin Cars
When did you decide to make the ultimate car?
“I decided in about 2016 that I had the money to do it, no matter what. I had to know I had a decent buffer, because I wasn’t going to give up my lifestyle to do it. A lot of guys get into projects like this and spend every dollar they have. If it fails, they’re screwed.”
Why launch now?
“Red Bull’s RB17 was probably the catalyst. We’ve been working on this car for years but figured that if they think there’s a market for 50 cars at £5 million, then there’s got to be room for us. They gave us confidence.”
How can you afford the capital outlay it takes to build a £1.8 million car?
“You’ve got to make money to do it. I started Dicker Data, a computer distribution business, in 1978, and it went public in 2011. Our original target was to deliver 10 computers a month. I always thought it would work, but it has done a fair bit better than I expected. Today we do $8-9 million worth of business every single day.”
In a way, your £1.8 million per car seems almost cheap. How can you do it for that?
“One big reason is that we’re going to make everything ourselves — all but the springs, seals and bearings. We even make our own bolts. We will do the engine castings and make the crankshaft. The crankshaft is currently made by a Formula 1 supplier and costs £23,000. But the billet to make that piece costs £795. We can save a lot just there.”
Are aerodynamics the reason for having an enclosed cockpit?
“It’s a no-brainer, but there are other reasons too. Open-cockpit cars can be tricky to drive, because your head moves about so much at speed; with a canopy, you can stay serene. And because the cabin is air-conditioned, you can run the car in any market. That’s a big problem in the Middle East, say, or even Australia.”