Radford Prepare One-Off Car for Pikes Peak Hill Climb
In 2021, the automotive world paid attention when the Radford was revived by Formula One 2009 World Champion Jenson Button, famed mechanic and car builder Ant Anstead, designer Mark Stubbs and business expert Roger Behle. The aim when bringing back the brand that originally began in 1948, was to draw on the craftsmanship and heritage of Harold Radford, its founder and the creator of countless bespoke vehicles, offering customers luxury coachbuilt and personalised cars. Its first car, the Radford Type 62-2 was released in 2022 in partnership with Lotus to much fanfare, with a whole host of journalists and media, including Driven, getting access to its launch at the Lotus factory in Norfolk. In its next challenge, Radford will produce a special one-off edition to tackle the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on Sunday 25th June.
Following his successful class win at the 2021 Pikes Peak event, renowned driver Tanner Foust will pilot the Radford Pikes Peak Edition Type 62-2 on the iconic hill climb course in Colorado Springs. This will be Radford’s debut in the 101st running of the event and Foust stated that he was “honoured” to be given the chance to sit in the seat.
The Radford team has drawn on expertise and workmanship from several key partners around the world for a truly global collaborative effort to bring the car from conception to the mountain course in such a short timeframe. The vehicle design was completed in France with the drivetrain being developed and built in Austria. Staying in Europe, the 3D printing and all-new carbon monocoque were finalised in the UK before its final assembly in California, a place that Britain’s Button and Anstead now call home.
Whilst the original Radford crew were integral to the build, others came on board like Alan Derosier of Legend Automobiles, who used the road car as the starting point when designing the car that would take on Pikes Peak. A large rear wing was necessary to tackle the altitude it will face on the mountain and a larger, more complex, cooling system has been fitted to the car to combat increased power output and thinner air density.
Sam Ofsowitz of Crown Concepts worked alongside Derosier to help bring the design to life via Computer-Aided Design (CAD). This was a complex project logistically making use of multiple different technologies. Stratasys, the manufacturer of 3D printers, provided the prototype bodywork and tooling, working the 3D print over 70 additional parts for the car, each one relying on precise CAD and printed remotely at its HQ in Minnesota. These included the fenders, the front splitter, brake ducts and side radiator cooling ducts. Composite materials have been supplied by Aria, the same composite provider for last year’s road car.
The iconic black and gold JPS (John Player Special) livery will adorn the exterior of the Pikes Peak Edition, making it the first JPS race car to do battle on the track since the 1986 F1 season with Ayrton Senna and Johnny Dumfries at the wheel. Anstead remarked that “having the colours appear again in international motorsport is like a boyhood dream come true.”
The centrally positioned, lightweight racing seat is FIA approved and weighs 3.7kg, having been specially designed by Tillett. The Type 62-2 Pikes Peak Edition is light overall in its nature, weighing in at only 861KG, 230mm wider than the road car and now also includes a full composite monocoque instead of an aluminium-based chassis.
Other major differences from the road car version include upgraded front and rear subframes, a new suspension geometry, a complete redesign of the underbody and a gooseneck rear spoiler to deliver maximum downforce and aerodynamic efficiency. All bodywork has undergone extensive aerodynamic computer simulations.
A supercharged 3.5L V6 DOHC bespoke engine developed and built by JUBU Performance delivers 710HP, working in tandem with a paddle shift gearbox to deliver a top speed of 160mph and 0-60mph in 2.2 seconds.
The Pikes Peak Edition’s braking system is provided by AP Racing in addition to Dymag carbon fibre rims which are wider than those on the road car. New soft compound tyres specifically created to deal with the demands of the race have been provided by Yokohama.
Joe Scarbo of Scarbo Performance led the project as lead engineer and project manager, with Scarbo Performance renowned for rapid development and engineering for complex racing programmes, valuable experience for an event like Pikes Peak.
With the event now only a month away, testing of the Radford Type 62-2 Pikes Peak Edition will begin in earnest at Radford Racing School, Radford’s official test track in Phoenix, Arizona, the testing ground for its road car. That is a common theme in this build. This is, undoubtedly, a race car designed to cope with the trials of the Colorado Springs mountain, but its road car influence cannot be ignored.
Driven’s day behind the scenes with Radford.
Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: Radford