Look at the Wheels on That: Radical SR8
06 July 2006 But we can build stonking sportscars, and Stuart Milne says the Nurburgring-smashing Radical SR8 is just about the best performance car to ever come out of Blighty. Back in 1996, a couple of amateur racers decided to build a motorcycle-engined sportscar to race in the 750 Motor Club's Sports 2000 category. A year later Mick Hyde and Phil Abbott had built nine more for paying customers, and Radical was born. Nothing unusual in that, you might think, but how many car makers smash the lap record at the Nurburgring - twice. In 2003, the Radical SR3 smashed the record for a production car, with a staggering 7 minute, 19 second lap. That's quick considering the fearsome circuit is 14 miles long, and has more than 170 bends. The record didn't last long though, after But Hyde and Abbott didn't get mad; they got even, and in February this year a Radical SR8 obliterated the record by 20 seconds. At the hands of Michael Vergers, the SR8 covered the 14 miles in just 6 minutes, 55 seconds - the first road car to break the seven minute barrier. So why is the SR8 so quick? It's got a lot to do with an awesome 363bhp, 2.6-litre V8 engine that revs to 10,000rpm, a state of the art gearbox and very little weight. That adds up to a sub three second 0-60 dash and a top speed in excess of 170mph. In the real world, that's quicker than anything this side of a race bike. It's so quick in fact, Radical strongly recommend an engine rebuild every 30 driving hours, and the SR8 comes with a guide containing nuggets of information such as changing the gear ratios and preparing the brake pads and discs for a good workout. More Silverstone than Sainsbury's. So what'll an SR8 set you back. Pop down to Radical's factory in |
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