Radford Type 62-2 John Player Special rages in luxury in racetrack debut
One of the coolest cars we've seen in a long time comes from a company called Radford, and it's based on a Lotus sports car. The Radford Type 62-2 John Player Special version of the car recently had a special dynamic debut on the famed Lotus test track in Hethel, England. The person behind the vehicle's wheel during its test run was F1 champ and company co-owner Jenson Button.
Button said that it was a "very special moment" to finally drive the Type 62-2 at the track (VIA Top Gear). The F1 ace says the car was well-balanced in both high and low-speed corners noting that the car ran without any issues all day. The car is a combination of Lotus performance and Radford luxury. The car weighs less than 2200 pounds and utilizes a 3.5-liter V-6 from Toyota.
The engine produces around 600 horsepower in the John Player Special model that Button took to the track. The vehicle reached 62 mph from a standstill in 2.9 seconds during performance testing. Then, it needed only 8.4 seconds to continue its sprint to 124 mph.
While the 3.5-liter V-6 engine came from Toyota's parts bin, it's heavily revised for use in the 62-2. Radford fits the engine with special pistons, connecting rods, and camshafts. It utilizes a supercharger that pushes output to around 600 horsepower. The car uses a six-speed manual transmission and is rear-wheel drive. Stopping is critical with a high-performance car, and the JPS version uses ceramic brakes.
Radford offers two other versions of the car, including the Classic and Gold Leaf. The 62-2 Classic is the entry-level version gets 430 horsepower from its V-6 engine. Sitting in the middle of the range is the 62-2 Gold Leaf version producing around 500 horsepower.
No matter which version of the vehicle a buyer chooses, they feature the same styling and beautiful interior. Interesting aspects of the interior are the retro styling cues with modern technology is integrated. Retro touches include a beautiful three-spoke steering wheel and instruments from Bremont, while modern touches include a phone dock.
One of the biggest mysteries about the car is its price. Radford hasn't announced pricing, but it's a high-end sports car with only 62 units being constructed. Every buyer also spends a one-on-one day at the track with Button. That suggests the price will be quite high. Deliveries are scheduled to start in Q2 2022, and pricing should be revealed then. Undoubtedly all 62 units of this special car will sell out.
Gold Leaf Edition
The version of the car seen at the test track was the high-end John Player Special wearing the black and gold livery the iconic Formula One racing team made famous. Previously, we saw images of the 62-2 Gold Leaf mid-range version. It was quite stunning with a two-tone red and white livery with a gold stripe separating the two colors. It looks like it's ready to take to the racetrack, complete with the number 62 on the door and hood.
The car features a black interior with a minimalist design, simple lines, and very elegant style. It's fitted with racing seats with five-point harnesses and a center console made out of carbon fiber. All versions use the same interior, but colors will vary since the car is bespoke. One of the coolest design touches is that the manual shifter has exposed linkages. Stopping power is courtesy of four-piston AP Racing brakes.
62-2 Classic
The Classic Edition of the car doesn't have a fancy racing livery but does have the same lines as the other models. We have seen the car painted in a fitting British Racing Green. Radford has said in the past that each vehicle would be bespoke to its owner, indicating that any color a buyer can dream up will be available. Consider the car weighs just a bit more than 2000 pounds, and even the Classic, with its 430 horsepower output, should be impressively fast. Brakes on the Classic are four-piston AP Racing units.
Production
Radford has confirmed that production kicks off in California this year, with the first deliveries in 2022. While the standard transmission in all models is a six-speed manual, a seven-speed dual-clutch is an option. With modern sports cars, dual-clutch versions are typically faster and more fuel-efficient than a manual. Nevertheless, we suspect most buyers will opt for the manual transmission as a car like the 62-2 begs for driver engagement, which only a manual transmission can provide.
While pricing hasn't been confirmed, the vehicle should be well into the six-figure range at minimal. With such a low production number of only 62 units in total, we would expect most buyers to opt for the top-of-the-line job Player Special edition. As each vehicle's sale includes the option to customize top-to-bottom, finding every single unit sold wearing the same black and gold livery as shown above would be a true shock.