• Versatile road car or track-day weapon
• 380bhp Ford V6 engine
• Seven-speed sequential transmission
• Only used for a few track-days
• 928 miles from new
Founded in 1997 by engineers Mick Hyde and Phil Abbott, Peterborough-based Radical took advantage of the availability of lightweight, high-performance, water-cooled motorcycle engines to develop of a whole new class of sports-racing cars endowed with power-to-weight ratios previously associated exclusively with Formula 1. Not only that, but these compact, power-dense, superbike engines invariably come with integral sequential gearboxes (usually six-speed) making them especially attractive to competition-car manufacturers. Entered in the 750 Motor Club's Sports 2000 series, the Kawasaki ZZR1100-powered Clubsport quickly established itself as a formidable contender and orders began to roll in. Introduced in 2002, the firm's most popular model is the Radical SR3, which uses the more modern and larger Suzuki Hayabusa engine.
Moving on to yet bigger engines, Radical turned to Ford power units for the SR10 and the Le Mans-styled RXC 'gullwing' coupé, the latter featuring the 3.7-litre Duratec Ti-VCT V6. Radical's only closed model, the production RXC has 380bhp on tap, which reaches the rear wheels via a Quaife seven-speed sequential gearbox and is good enough for a 0-62mph time of 2.8 seconds (same as the McLaren P1) and a (claimed) top speed of 175mph. Unlike many of Radical's traditionally hardcore products, the RXC is more biased towards road use, featuring the conveniences of air conditioning and adjustable power-assisted steering.
Evo magazine's Jethro Bovingdon had the good fortune to test a prototype RXC at the Blyton circuit in Lincolnshire: "I'd expected the RXC to be rabidly fast, darty and seriously hard work, but my expectations are confounded within a lap... There's no ABS here but I love the six-piston brakes – the pedal is solid but there's just enough travel to feed back intimate information about the available grip. It means you can attack braking zones with astonishing accuracy, helped by the lovely downshift quality and the RXC's wonderful stability. Furthermore, the aerodynamic grip... is mind-bending."
Indeed, such is the RXC's racetrack poise that, despite having less than half the power of a million-pound Pagani Huayra, it lapped Blyton only 0.4 seconds slower than the Italian supercar.
Purchased in 2014, this particular Radical RXC has only been used for a few track days at the Rudskogen circuit in Norway, covering only 928 miles. All services have been carried out at Eker, the Norwegian Radical dealer. The car comes with a battery charger.
Please note that this vehicle is from outside the UK. Our customs agents, CARS UK, will manage all post sale customs administration. A fee of £350+VAT will be charged on the buyer's invoice to administer both import or export customs movements. If the buyer also chooses to ship with CARS UK, this will be quoted separately. If this vehicle is to stay in the UK, it will be subject to Import VAT at the standard rate of 20% and Import Duty at 10%+VAT on the hammer price. This vehicle will not be available for immediate collection after the sale and will only be released on completion of customs clearance. If you have any questions regarding customs clearance, please contact the Bonhams Motorcar Department.