The BT52 was created under significant time pressure. The FIA had mandated flat undersides for all cars after banning ground-effect aerodynamics at the close of the previous season. With approximately six weeks from that regulation change to the opening race, Murray designed the BT52 from scratch. The resulting car had a distinctive dart-shaped profile, with short angular sidepods intended to minimise aerodynamic lift. An oversized rear wing generated downforce in the absence of the underbody suction that earlier cars had relied upon.
Approximately 70 percent of the car's weight was concentrated at the rear to improve traction under the immense torque of the BMW turbo engine. The monocoque was constructed from aluminium and carbon-fibre composite to minimise mass. The fuel tank was small and positioned high behind the driver, a layout chosen specifically around the refuelling stops that were reintroduced to Formula One in 1983. Modular construction allowed for rapid engine and suspension changes between sessions. Murray later described the BT52 as one of the cars he was most satisfied with — an assessment reflecting the discipline of the concept as much as the results it achieved.
The BMW M12/13 was a 1.5-litre inline-four engine derived from the production M10 block, fitted with a single KKK turbocharger. In race specification the engine produced approximately 650 bhp; in qualifying trim output rose to approximately 850 bhp. Some period accounts cite peak qualifying power exceeding 1,000 bhp in the most extreme configurations. The BMW unit was the most powerful engine in the 1983 field and the one most demanding of chassis traction and driver management, particularly at the start of the turbo boost curve.
Nelson Piquet drove the BT52 throughout the 1983 season. He won in Brazil at the opening round, then in Italy at round thirteen, and at the European Grand Prix at round fourteen. In addition to those three victories he recorded three second places and two third places, accumulating 59 points. Riccardo Patrese drove the second car and had a difficult but ultimately productive campaign, taking pole position at Monza and winning the season-closing South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.
Piquet won the championship by two points from Alain Prost's Renault. Brabham finished third in the Constructors' Championship with 72 points, seven behind Renault and seventeen behind Ferrari.
After the Canadian Grand Prix, the BT52 was updated to the BT52B specification. The revised variant was visually distinguishable by its reversed colour scheme. Later in the season Brabham adopted winglets on the rear wing, a device similar to those already used by Ferrari, to generate additional downforce. The BT52B won three of the seven remaining races after its introduction.
Piquet's title was significant in being the first championship won by a turbocharged car, confirming that the forced-induction era had arrived decisively. It was also the last world championship won by the Brabham team. The car's angular, purpose-built aesthetic — a direct consequence of the short development window and Murray's determination to solve the flat-floor problem honestly rather than by compensation — has made it one of the more visually recognisable Formula One cars of the decade.
The BT52 was replaced for 1984 by the Brabham BT53. A BT52 was later driven by Pedro Piquet at Goodwood SpeedWeek, where an unofficial sub-one-minute lap on the Goodwood circuit was reportedly achieved in BMW turbo configuration, though this was not a timed competitive record.
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