RADFORD MOTORS TAKE THIS YEAR'S MICHELIN SHOWSTOPPER TROPHY AT GOODWOOD FOS.
One of the more interesting automakers displaying their wares at the recently Goodwood Festival of Speed was Radford Motors, a little-known concern yet it has some well-known industry names behind it. These guys have clearly got all the right experience and business expertise because not only did they display a car for people to inspect, they also raced a car up the Goodwood hill and managed to win the much-honoured and prestigious Michelin Showstopper Trophy. This sought-after trophy sees manufacturers engaging with their own social audiences to vote for their beloved supercars at the show, and they were cool enough to everyone that visited the stand and followed on social media that they garnered the most votes to take the trophy home.
It does help to garner support when the three brains behind the operation are super successful in their chosen fields, and those chosen fields see them being household names. Radford Motors was founded by Jensen Button who you know from the world of Formula 1, Ant Antstead known for his stint with Wheeler Dealers and lastly Roger Behle who’s been in bands, movies and is currently some form of entertainment lawyer. With a pedigree like that backing their own bespoke coachbuilding company can only end in success in all aspects.
The Michelin Showstopper Trophy was awarded for the Radford Motors Type 62-2, a car full of retro details inspired by Le Mans Prototypes and world-class engineering from Formula 1 in a celebration of coach building heritage and future. We thought we’d show you the Radford Type 62-2 John Player Special version because it’s a beaut of a thing in that classic livery. This Type 62-2 is limited to 12 examples, the livery based on the Lotus Type 72D that was campaigned by Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972 when he won five races of the season. To please the eyeballs, the JPS version features exposed carbon wheels to contrast the old cigarette company’s iconic gold hue. Added to that the driver’s car features a 3.5-litre V6 with 600 hp on tap that’s capable of a 0-100 km/h blast in just 2.9-seconds before running through to a limited top speed of 291 km/h (181 mph). What do you think? Worthy of the Michelin Showstopper Trophy or not?
Take a look at the YouTube video recapping the amazing 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed weekend with the guys from Radford Motors: Goodwood Wrap Up - Radford | Radford Motors