Radford Motors is heading to next month’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and bringing with it a special version of the Lotus-based Type 62-2.
The car is fittingly dubbed the ‘Pikes Peak Edition’ and is extensively modified over the forthcoming Type 62-2 for the road. It will be driven by Tanner Foust and compete in the exhibition class.
While a company as small as Radford could have been excused for taking the road car and simply making some minor changes to it, it’s done quite the opposite. In fact, the Pikes Peak Edition model is underpinned by a new composite carbon fiber monocoque compared to the aluminum underpinnings of the road car. It also features new front and rear subframes and the driver now sits in the middle of the cabin.
Watch: Jenson Button Hits Laguna Seca With The Gorgeous Radford Type 62-2
Like the standard model, power comes courtesy of the same basic 3.5-liter supercharged V6 that Lotus has used for many years now. However, whereas the street car tops out at 605 hp in flagship guise, the Pikes Peak Edition gets an extra 95 hp for a round 700 horses. Mated to this engine is a sequential transmission funneling power to the rear wheels. Radford says it should be able to hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 2.2 seconds.
Radford developed 70 new 3D-printed parts for the car and has also worked comprehensively to increase downforce. Among the new parts featured is a massive front splitter, new side skirts and wheel arches, a huge roof scoop, a rear diffuser, and a massive rear wing. Despite the addition of these new parts, the Type 62-2 Pikes Peak Edition weighs 200 kg (441 lbs) less than the street car, tipping the scales at a mere 861 kg (1,898 lbs).
“We’re going to be in an exhibition class which will have a lot of quick cars in it,” Foust told Top Gear. “Rhys Millen will be driving in this class and he’s won overall. There are some big manufacturer-supported cars too, and it’s a kind of catch-all class that gets a lot of fast cars. We’ll have our work cut out for us.”
