You may have already seen pictures of the gorgeous Lotus Exige-based Radford Type 62-2, the first supercar from the resurrected British coachbuilder Radford...but not like this, you haven’t. This is the harder, faster, meaner-looking John Player Special version that in Radford’s own words is “closer to a race car than a road car.”
Just 12—out of a total run of 62 cars—will be finished in the iconic black and gold colors, and fitted with the most extreme spec possible. That means a larger diffuser, front splitter, and side intakes to better cool the 3.5-liter supercharged V6—boosted to 600hp thanks to upgraded pistons, con-rods, camshafts, and an XL supercharger.
There’s also better brakes—AP Monobloc calipers grabbing Brembo’s top-shelf CCM-R carbon-ceramic discs—plus 18-inch front and 19-inch rear Dymag carbon wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. “The JPS Type 62-2 is even more dynamically focused and extremely capable on both road and track—it’s very light, very fast and nimble—a proper assault on the senses that will hold its own among even the most accomplished track cars,” says Jenson Button, Radford’s humble test driver.
Quick recap: Radford has been brought back to life, principally, by three men: 2009 Formula 1 champion Mr. Button, who’ll do the development driving duties, TV presenter and car builder Ant Anstead, and designer Mark Stubbs. The 62-2 will cost from around $400,000 (P20 million) and will be offered in three ‘starter’ specs—Classic, Gold Leaf, and JPS—in increasing levels of aggression. In reality, though, if your pockets are deep enough, you can have anything you like—it’s highly likely no two 62-2s will be the same.
Back to Jenson: “The John Player special Type 62-2 sports one of the most iconic racing liveries ever created—one of the liveries that the heroes of Formula 1 such as Emerson Fittipaldi and Ayrton Senna used to race with, in the cars that made me want to be a driver.”
We can’t argue with that, but which version would you have?
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
