Ultra-exclusive Radford Type 62-2 John Player Special unveiled

Radford has pulled the wraps off an even more exclusive version of its coachbuilt Type 62-2 sports car, called the John Player Special. It’ll make its public debut at this year’s Goodwood Revival between 17 and 19 September.

Of the Type 62-2’s 62-strong production run, Radford will only build 12 John Player Specials. Production will start later this year. with first deliveries expected to arrive in 2022.

As hinted by its nameplate, the Type 62-2 John Player Special wears a modernised version of the iconic black-and-gold livery that most famously appeared on the Lotus Type 72D Formula One racer.

Emerson Fittipaldi claimed five victories and the championship title in the car during the 1972 season. The same livery also appeared on Lotus Formula One cars until 1986, showing up for the final time on the 98T, which was driven by the legendary Ayrton Senna.

However, it isn’t just the livery that sets the JPS apart from the other versions of the Type 62-2, as Radford’s engineers have managed to extract some more performance from the car’s supercharged 3.5-litre V6 engine.

Upgraded pistons, stronger con-rods, more aggressive camshafts and a larger supercharger sees performance rise to 600bhp – up from 430bhp on the entry-level model. The standard car’s manual gearbox has also been swapped for a seven-speed dual clutch automatic.

Radford has also thrown some excess weight out of the car, fitted some lighter carbon composite wheels and bolted on some upgraded carbon ceramic brakes, with the company claiming the JPS is “closer to a race car than a road car”.

There are a couple of aerodynamic tweaks, too, which help keep the JPS stuck to the track. Up front there’s a deeper splitter, which is balanced out by a more aggressive diffuser at the rear. The side intakes are also larger, to help cool the more powerful engine.

Jenson Button, one of the three main investors for the reborn British brand, said: “The John Player Special Type 62-2 is the most extreme Type 62-2 that money can buy.

“It is low, sleek and powerful and sports one of the most iconic racing liveries ever created – one of the liveries that the heroes of Formula 1 such as Emerson Fittipaldi and Ayrton Senna used to race with, in the cars that made me want to be a driver.

Now check out our insider story on the UK’s other leading coachbuilder, David Brown Automotive…