Compared to most sports cars available today, the RXC is still a little extreme. However, next to Radical’s other models like the SR8 and new SR1, the RXC looks very accommodating.
That’s probably because the RXC actually has a roof, but beyond this it’s evident Radical has designed the RXC with the more mainstream sports car market in mind. That doesn’t mean the RXC won’t be an excellent circuit racer, as it certainly has the makings of a great track car.
The RXC is the culmination of three and a half years of design and development to create the world’s most extreme road-legal car, says Radical. It is a completely clean-sheet design with only a handful of components carried over from company's other cars.
The chassis is a steel spaceframe built to FIA specifications, to which double wishbone suspension with adjustable Intrax dampers has been attached. An integrated roll cage ensures occupant safety and vehicle stiffness, while the body is a mix of plastic and carbon fiber.
Powering the car is a 3.7-liter V-6 supplied from Ford, a similar unit to the engine in the entry-level Ford Mustang, and final output is rated at 380 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. For the extremists, Radical can also fit a 480-horsepower 3.0-liter V-8, though this unit would relegate the car to track use only.
Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed, paddle-shifted sequential gearbox supplied by Quaife. It even has a function to automatically blip the throttle on downshifts. The brakes are steel discs with six-pot calipers, and customers will be able to specify carbon ceramic units.
With an overall weight of just under 2,000 pounds, even with the base V-6 the Radical RXC will sprint to 60 mph from rest in 2.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 175 mph.
2013 Radical RXC
Sales commence next summer and pricing is set at £89,500 (approximately $144,338).
Stay tuned for the world debut of the 2013 Radical RXC at Autosport International on January 10.
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