Lotus and Radford pair up for new sportscar
Radford has revealed which OEM it will be partnering with, following the announcement of its return under the stewardship of Ant Anstead and Jenson Button, along with designer Mark Stubbs and lawyer Roger Behle. Initially, we only had the promise of OEM partnerships to go on. We now know the first Radford car released will be based on a Lotus.
It’s said that “Lotus technology” will serve as the “starting point” for the development of a “bespoke limited-edition Radford model”. What does that mean? Well, perhaps not quite the re-bodied, re-trimmed Elise, Exige or Evora we might expect. Though it’s hard to believe that “starting point” means anything less than chassis, engine and transmission.
What else do we know? Well, the model is said to take inspiration from the Lotus Type 62 Appendix J sportscar of 1969. Jenson Button says in the accompanying video, while taking a break from clay modelling, “the most important thing is that Lotus think it looks like a Lotus”.
“They have chosen us. We are the chosen ones, to bring to the world a new Lotus,” Anstead adds in the video.
Now, we just want to know more. Happily, full details on this Radford-Lotus collaboration are due out later this year, with order books opening in due course.
The motto for the reborn coachbuilder is ‘Design. Build. Drive’, which is an effective reflection of the headline skills of its owners. With the goal of creating something that is in Jenson Button’s words “truly analogue and thoroughly engaging,” Lotus seems a good place to start.
Radford
Jenson Button
Lotus
