We’ve published the Radford Type 62-2 before, the Lotus-inspired new supercar from Radford, created with the help of Jenson Button and Ant Anstead, and while I would personally go for the exclusive John Player Special edition, I’m sure many people were really admiring the rare Type 62-2 at the latest Goodwood Festival of Speed, so much so, that the car actually won the coveted Michelin Showstopper Award, after votes from both the visitors at Goodwood last weekend, and from people online, the dark burgundy metallic, updated Type 62.2 took the lead.
The hill climb during the 2022 Goodwood FOS was actually the dynamic debut for the Radford Type 62-2, driven by F1 World Champion Jenson Button and Chris Buncombe, this car comes with extensive F1 engineering and chassis updates from Rock Engineering, JUBU Performance, and R53 suspension. Countless visitors were able to get really close to this coachbuilt Type 62-2 during the four days at Goodwood with the car as a static display in the Michelin Supercar Paddock, and this beauty not only drives well on the race track and the road but also showcases exemplary attention to detail and craftsmanship throughout making it the epitome of outstanding beauty and ultimate performance.
Jenson Button: “Goodwood is always a wonderful event, but driving the Type 62-2 has made my 20th year at the Festival extra special. It’s fantastic to be able to be behind the wheel for the car’s global dynamic debut and show fans what we’ve been working on and it’s a true vindication that those same fans at Goodwood and from across the world have voted for our car as their Michelin Showstopper of the Festival, thank you to every single person who voted.”
Ant Anstead: “Winning the Michelin Showstopper Award is incredible. It was an amazing effort from the whole team to get the car prepared for this event and the positive response we’ve received throughout from fans and from customers in the car has been absolutely outstanding, especially considering the completion from far more established brands.
“It was actually emotional to see the car on the start line for the first time at Goodwood. We are constantly looking for new ways to improve the Type 62-2 so that it is the best it can be. The feedback from our drivers has given us enormous encouragement that the engineering refinements we have made to the car has made it feel and perform even better, ahead of first customer deliveries this year.”
Richard Bezzant, Marketing Director, Michelin Tyre PLC: “We’re adding another very special car to the winners of the Michelin Showstopper Award today. The Radford is a thing of beauty; a classic-inspired creation by Ant Anstead, Jenson Button, Roger Behle and the whole Radford team. The reaction to the car this weekend has been so positive and the public made a clear choice – this is a showstopper indeed.”
We’ve seen the Radford Lotus Type 62-2 for the first time in August 2021, during the Monterey Car Week, but since then the car has been continually refined into the beauty we could admire this weekend in the UK, and we should expect a really balanced, well-behaving, supercar on the track and the open road as each and every Radford Type 62-2 is personally signed off by F1 World Champion Jenson Button.
Being a coachbuilt car, the interior of the Radford Lotus Type 62-2 contains a plethora of tailor-made solutions courtesy of engineering partner WCM, but probably the main attraction during the 2022 Goodwood FoS must have been the all-new burgundy bodywork complemented by absolutely stunning-looking Dymag carbon fiber rims that come with equally lightweight magnesium centers and an F1-inspired center lock.
With the new valve springs from JUBU, together with new bearings and camshafts, the engine has been improved, add the lighter spaceframe chassis from Rock Engineering and the fact the Type 62-2 now has the engine in a new position compared to the prototypes, the center of gravity sits lower, and the Radford Lotus Type 62-2 is now one of the world’s lightest supercars.
