The Radford 62-2 is a tribute to a 1960s Lotus racer and as such, is quite an elegant thing. Its coach-built carbon garb gives a timeless and elegant yet purposeful look to what promises to be an eminently talented sportscar. Now there’s a special one-off version made to take on Pikes Peak and needless to say… the elegance has been dropkicked into the bin. This slashed, scooped, be-winged monster is every bit the Hillclimb hero you’re imagining.
Radford reveals crazy 62‑2 Pikes Peak monster
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Indeed, all that is ‘Radford’ as we know it, is the lights, colour scheme and broadly, the silhouette. Where the road-going sportscar is Lotus-based, with an extruded aluminium frame, this has its own carbon tub. It’s effectively a one-off prototype, with plenty of aero to help keep its smooth underbody firmly facing the Hillclimb’s floor. It’s 230mm wider, with entirely new subframes, suspension and cooling (with scoops to feed it). The aero and cooling ducts might look excessive at sea level but when making the climb, with much less dense air to work with, they’re the size they need to be.
What needs cooling? Just about the only other bit inherited from the 62-2 road car, the engine. Well, sort of, given only the Toyota-sourced short block remains. Everything else that’s bolted to it is bespoke for the Pikes Peak Edition, allowing a sturdy 700PS (515kW) output, that’s sent to the rear wheels via a sequential paddle-actuated transmission. The result is a theoretical 0-60mph time of 2.2 seconds, on the way to a gearing/drag-limited top speed of 160mph.
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Overall the Pikes Peak Edition Radford 62-2 is also a lot lighter than the road car, weighing in at just 861kg, thanks to a raft of 3D-printed parts, gutted innards and composite use. The car will feature in the exhibition class, battling a whole host of other wild machinery, ranging from manufacturer-sanctioned one-offs, to home-built heroes.
A fun point to note? This will be the first time a John Player Special-branded racing car has competed in contemporary motorsport since Ayrton Senna set off in the 1986 Australian Grand Prix F1 season-closer.
