History & Milestones

Our original brief 25 years ago? A lightweight sportscar that utilised superbike technology. Faster than a supercar, totally driver focused and intensely rewarding to drive, Radical was the first company to create a bespoke powertrain system for a superbike-powered sports racer. The cars were built not just for the discerning club racer but trackday enthusiasts too, and both types of driver enjoy unmatched levels of support as well as having the fastest cars on track.

But the Radical philosophy extends much wider than just the cars. By launching our own race championships we became the first manufacturer to bring long-format, doubleheader endurance racing to the club racer, and provided a comprehensive spares and technical support team at every event that continues to this day.

The iconic Clubsport model established the company in 1997 and it is still raced with enthusiasm all around the world. Its success was instantaneous and the full grids soon led to developments, the Prosport adding wings, more power and wider slicks, but the team at Radical were never going to rest on their ever-growing laurels. In 2002 they launched the SR3, a genuine two-seater, road-legal track car, that wowed both the press and track drivers all over the world. It has become Radical’s most popular model to date and was soon followed by the compact SR4, a small, light and practical two-seater that proved to be the perfect successor to the original Clubsport.

The awesome SR8, launched in 2005 and powered by the high-revving, 380bhp Powertec RPV8 engine, brought Le Mans Prototype pace to the national racing scene. The mighty RPE RPV8 was designed, developed and manufactured in-house, and the car now holds several circuit out-right lap records, including the highly sought prize of the production car record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The latest-generation 2.7-litre engine sets lap times comparable to LMP machinery on a fraction of the budget, and continues to draw acclaim for established endurance racers the world over.

In 2011, Radical took the bold step of developing its first fully EC Type Approved, street-legal roadster the SR3 SL. Powered by a turbocharged Ford EcoBoost four-cylinder engine it opened up Radical ownership to a whole new market, rapidly establishing itself in countries such as Switzerland, Germany and Japan. Technology and processes developed in the design of the SR3 SL have since enabled Radical to create a ‘milestone’ car; the new RXC. With the EcoBoost-powered RXC Turbo unveiled as Radical’s new flagship model in January 2014 this is one automotive success story that shows no signs of fading. At the opposite end of the model spectrum, the SR1 Cup racecar and championship model continues to bring new racers into the sport, providing them with the skills to succeed in the highly-competitive motorsport arena.

In 2020, Radical launched the new SR3 XX super sports car which provided unparalleled race car technology to the fingertips of their drivers all around the globe. Also new for 2020, was the launch of the SR10, delivering pure extreme performance. With a high horsepower, long-life powertrain, the new Radical SR10 is everything you’d expect from a Radical – turbocharged.

Radical set out to create a new niche in the sports car scene, offering drivers incredible performance for a realistic price, and our success is born out in the sales figures; with over 2,000 Radical owners. As we enter our third decade with a fresh brand perspective, we'll continue to deliver a high-performance range of race and road cars, combined with a thrilling worldwide championship portfolio.