Radford Type 62-2 to run at Goodwood Festival of Speed

spot_imgspot_img

aria-label="Radford 62 testing e1638989223639"

Festival of Speed visitors will be able to see retro-designed Radford Type 62-2 drive up the famous hill.

Radford completed testing of its Type 62-2 sports car in late 2021 and now it’s ready to make its dynamic debut at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, with Formula One legend Jenson Button at the helm.

The Radford Type 62-2 is an homage to the Lotus Type 62 racer from 1969 and has been tested at Lotus’s headquarters in Hethel, UK. Only 62 examples of the Type 62-2 will be built and each will be customised to suit its owner’s taste – Radford says each car will be unique thanks to the level of personalisation on offer.

aria-label="Radford 62 testing 3"

Jenson Button is one of the reborn coachbuilding company’s three main investors and has been integral to the car’s development phase. He spoke on the Type 62-2’s debut, saying “Goodwood Festival of Speed is a fantastic event, and I am looking forward to showcasing the driving capabilities and performance of our updated and refined Type 62-2 on the iconic hillclimb.

“This is an exciting opportunity for both motoring and motorsport fans, and I can’t wait to reveal all of the engineering changes we have made to the car as they come from F1-inspired pedigree.”

aria-label="Radford 62 testing 7"

Three variants of the Type 62-2 will be available. The flagship John Player Special variant features a 447kW supercharged 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine from Lotus and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Radford says that’s enough for a 0–100km/h time of 2.9 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 299km/h.

Underneath that there’s a further two specifications, called Classic and Gold Leaf. The cheaper Classic variant has a 320kW version of the same 3.5-litre V6 and a six-speed manual transmission– and, as such, it’s marketed as the purists option.

aria-label="Radford Lotus Type 62 interior 5"

The Type 62-2 Gold Leaf wears the same iconic red-and-white livery as Graham Hill’s 1968 Lotus Type 49B Formula One racer. To back up the racy looks, it also gets a more potent 373kW version of the Lotus V6, and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Button commented on his development drive last year: “To finally drive the type 62-2 for the first time was obviously a very special moment, the cockpit already feels like home! The car felt great, well-balanced in high and low-speed corners and ran faultlessly all day which is the perfect base for the months of setup tweaking that will follow for me. We want to ensure that this car is a pure driver’s car that pays both due respects to the DNA of Lotus but also delivers the luxury of a Radford.”

Alastair Crooks

Toyota 222D – the Group S Rally Car

This 560kW rallying MR2 could have seen Toyota conquer the stages, but instead fate intervened
spot_img

Further Reading

Genesis GV90 electric SUV: Neolun concept previews new flagship

Genesis GV90 previewed: The Neolun is Genesis’s first “full-size electric SUV concept” and comes with a host of advanced technological features