We are incredibly proud of what we have created. And we further beamed with pride and excitement as we handed the keys to our baby over to Top Gear in what is the "first drive" of our Radford Type 62-2 prototype. Thank you Ollie Marriage and Top Gear team!
Will there be a more road focused version of the car as the previous reply asked? I believe having the ability to toggle ABS and TCS would be nice to have on the road
Great concept and it's certainly a looker. I'm disappointed that it's so difficult to see out of. You can drive a car to it's potential when you can see where you're going and the fat A pillars especially get in the way of that. Can they offer an A pillar air bag delete (as it's fitted with harnesses) to slim them down? What about more B pillar strength to help with rollover strength? Otherwise, I'm impressed!
He always comes across as a really balanced and chill guy. He recently did a post race interview about his nascar drive and what a humble and honest bloke he is. Top bloke.
Can't really compare the T50 and this. T50 has a V12 that revs to 12,000 and is a lot less rough and ready than this. It's also a good £2 million more.
I get the feeling if Radford ever actually manage to supply a paying customer with the car they ordered, the heavily-tweaked Exige chassis & powertrain will be an absolute pain-in-the-butt to drive on the road. A poseur's car yes, a driver's car no.
It's rare I see a car these days that just look great right off the bat. That car looks stunning, and just badass. The deep, dark color works as well. Most likely looks even better up close.
I think it's heavily inspired by the Porsche 904 look, that classic design just looks amazing and will never go out of style.. Google Porsche 904 and check the aesthetics of that car, very similar to this car
Rear clam seems very reminiscent to me of the GT40 - as do the cutouts in the roof, of course. Nevertheless, it never fails to stagger me how many bespoke car manufacturers use Lotus either for inspiration, engineering or consultancy whenever they want to produce a drivers car. And this does look rather amazing in those iconic JPS colours...
I thought the same. What became of them? They kinda just disappeared. Feels like it’s so difficult to be successful in this space where the car is not cheap and yet at the end of the day is an evolution of something quite standard.
I've followed Radford since I heard it was coming back with all the back stories etc. Looks mega in the Dark Red/ Violet colour too. An amazing car for the price tag, considering that most high-tech Super/Hyper cars are circa £1m +. So many references to the past, that still looks great imo. Just wish I could afford 1. JB & Ant amongst others have done a Stirling job with the Type 62-2. 👍👌👏
Used to have an elise in that color. Velvet red. Very nice. 2GR is a fantastic engine. It will take a beating and then some. Sounds great, revs freely. Really good stuff.
"We purposely engineered a little bit of understeer in the car. Because you wouldn't want it as pointy as it can be on the road". Yet there's no ABS. Hmmm.
Interesting thing about it is... Radford created the original Fibre glass body for the GT40, pretty neat touch I must say, also the GT40 does look like it took some inspiration on the original Type 62
I actually really like it. It looks like a mini gt40 , but yet still makes the same amount of hp as one. I think it’s the best sounding v6 out there right now,and i do like Jenson his driving is impeccable.
That is exactly what the Europa was...a Blue Collar GT40, for the people. Worst thing is this is only built for 62 people that keep them in a collection.
@@MindDezign Oy! Who are you calling blue collar? None of the T shirts I wear when driving my '70 Europa have blue collars! While they are not exactly 'white collar' I'll have you know the sweat and grime are well earned. And I'd love a 62-2.
Great review. Drivetrain is fully built Jubu 2GR, Harrop 1900tvs supercharger 2gr kit, transmission is beefed up VW manual not the stock Lotus unit. DCT option is VW DQ500. Everything is available from Jubu but not cheap.
Nobody is doing this because they all think they are past it. While with all the developments on the chassis, carbon, engine side since the F40 (35 years ago) its exactly the right moment to revisit the pure thoroughbred drivers car. Its a beauty guys. Well done, Congratulations.
Been a JB fan ever since I was a teen, as a British man and a motor car enthusiast through and through, I am so proud of Jenson and everyone there who is working on this amazing development This is the way British sports cars should be light.. direct and no assists The fact it makes 600hp is a bonus as you said its all about how you can use it Look forward to seeing how this car continues to develop I didn't even say how utterly beautiful it is simple but purposeful just like a proper racer, Maybe it's just my take but it looks like it could be lined up in a 24hr race ❤❤❤❤🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
An AMAZING alternative to all the " NANNY " assisted cars that are on the market Pure , raw , yet accessible power and performance that rewards the drivers respect and input Interesting to see if JB and his group have truly found the ultimate alternative at producing a high performance car that can produce on track yet still be livable in daily driving on the street BRAVO 🇺🇸🇬🇧🏁🏁
I still remember watching a then 19 year old Jenson Button drive the snot out of a BMW M car before his 1st F1 season with BMW Williams. My has time flown by!
Yupp, started watching In 98, remember Flavio had some choice words about him, and the whole Williams/Honda contract fiasco. Man time has flown. If you haven't already read Jenson's book, I highly recommend it.
The first time I saw a picture of the Radford type 62-2 it was love at first sight, then i heard the power figures and weight which caused severe dribbling, and now to see it driving, hearing that soundtrack 😳 it is just super sexy and wow I wish I was a millionaire and had the chance to own one...! We need a new meaning to describe how much I really want one of these as 'Want one' just doesn't cut it. 🤤🥰
Beautiful car. Spectacular color. Love the no rear window. Lightweight, powerful, and highly tactile with the omission of all those electronic driving aids is outstanding. Homage to one of my favorite cars of all times, the Lotus Europa, is yet to be seen...
Something has dramatically changed in the relationship between Radford & Lotus, & Ant Anstead is now claiming they are building cars containing no parts supplied from Lotus....
Lotus doesn't actually make many parts for it's cars themselves. They might do the fibreglass, but most of the other things are from other manufacturers and assembled in the Lotus factory.
It's essentially a Lotus Exige with 600hp... but at 350K... I don't see why anybody would buy this. But yes, as cars become electric, car makers need to bring back the joy of driving. I suspect of the 62, 10 or so will end up in a bush.
No joke i can literally feel the smoothness of the car the way power is deliverd without any jerks. The suspension isnt crashy which is typical of track cars.
Lovely car, was fortunate enough to see the JPS when working for AP Racing, however, I hope they adjust the seat as it certainly moves around a lot watching the video 😅 Additionally, they are Brembo CCM-R discs but AP Racing calipers (as clearly shown) and pads. The pad compound was the issue for squealing as they were a new material (considering I was involved with the project for a short period).
It is cool, but it is a 600bhp V6 for $440K.. that is a lot of money. It certainly looks the part, but I wonder if you're getting more than you would from idk a tuned Miata with a sexy body?
Fair play to Jensen, he really knows the car down to the technical details, not just some rent a gob racing driver asked to put his name/face to something. I like that. I hope it's a success for them.
Maybe the front will grow on me, but right now, that's the only weak spot imo. (specifically the headlights and DRLs) The rest of it is MAGNIFICENT, especially the rear 3/4 view. What a car.
I am very grateful that I could order a 62/2. I admire and love the passion of Ant, Jenson and all at Radford. They make dreams come true. In a few months we can see a Radford on Dutch number plates!
You lucky, lucky man. I'm just hoping to get a Big Valve Twin Cam Europa before the prices skyrocket. But right now I have to finish my current project car, hopefully without bankrupting myself, and recover over the next couple of years before I can consider buying another toy. I've been thinking about getting a ratty Renault-engined Europa, finding a Toyota 2ZZGE engine and ECU from an Elise, and a Cayman transaxle, and building a fast, reliable Europa. But the Radford will be a Hell of a lot meaner. When you get yours and have had a chance to get used to it, post some videos for us. I want to know what the car is like from an owner's perspective. Let us know what it's like on twisty back roads. I bet it will be incredible.
@@patrickpolak3832 Oh dear Patrick....that sounds somewhat worrying. I had a feeling they had fallen out with Lotus Cars...here's hoping you get your car eventually.
As you creep north from Phoenix (around 1,100 feet or 330 meters elevation) to Flagstaff (closer to where you are I'd imagine) the elevation climbs to some 6,500-7,000 feet. The desert can get downright cold and weather-heavy up there.
Who can afford this? Genuine question. Say Aye, if you can work harder, become a manager and afford to buy this car at some point in your life before you get to 70 (but only after you buy a house, of course, so you have to factor that in as well).
It's around £400,000 so I would be able to afford this when I'm 65 or 70 years old, if my kids don't go to uni and/or want help buying their own houses.
It's very cool, but I think there's something off-putting with a "driver's car" at £500,000. That likely makes it, first and foremost, a "rich douchebag's car"
NA V8 would suit it better! Maybe take a page of GMA's book! Coachbuilder Title need not stick with Radford! They can make it even better! Maybe even ask the professor for a V12 hanging about in his garage!
What a gorgeous car (bad colour though for promo, I think - tough to see the lines sometimes). I'm so thrilled with all of the counter-culture cars that are appearing. Enough with the 1,200 hp electric nonsense with fifty computers under your foot. Proper driver's cars please.
This says so much about what is wrong in all modern day car engineering. Passive analogue driving is what all cars should be about young engineers take note, less electronic gimmick engineering and just add lightness.. imagine an Emira with this level of power…Lotus you had better see how they fixed your cable transmission.
You could buy a couple of Ultimas or Caterhams or Ariels for that money. Jenson Button won't teach you to drive around their flaws though 🤔 It is bleeding beautiful to look at 👌
Before Ant even said about the Radford /GT40 connection, i thought it had GT40 vibes. Looks like one that's smoothed out and modernised for more ground effect downforce. Hell of a car though, TVR levels of driver bravery with no electronic aids at the moment, but i'm sure they'll tame it down a bit with suspension and brakes. Money don't make you a skilled driver!
This seems like an awful value proposition. But if I’m having that thought, it means I’m not who this car is for. I’ll stick with my nanny state Porsches and Atom.
Think of this like Shelby with Ford. They keep the Ford logo, badge and name but it technically wasn’t worked on by Ford independently. So yeah Radford is that with Lotus
This should have been the formula used to create the new NSX back in 2016. 16:18 those paint schemes are to die for. I imagine they will create a track focused type R at some point.
@@Gaudine You don't understand the ethos of the original NSX. You haven't watched the Best MOTORing videos of the NSX outperforming all the supercars of its time because of light weight and superb suspension setup. A high revving engine and quick throw manual transmission is all that's needed.
