As promised, Radical Sportscars lifted the veils off their new Rapture road-legal sports car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier today.
Designed to blur the lines between road and race performance, the Rapture is essentially a race car that can be driven on public roads. According to Radical, no other street-legal car available today offers the same percentage of race-bred DNA as the Rapture.
It definitely looks like a racer, in the mold of competitors such as the BAC Mono and Dallara Stradale, but is also instantly recognizable as a Radical. Built in accordance with the UK’s Individual Vehicle Approval framework, it is intended for European markets from launch, with homologation for other markets worldwide to follow.
Instead of placing emphasis on sheer power, the Rapture focuses mainly on lightweight construction and aerodynamic efficiency. The lightweight spaceframe chassis, including the FIA-spec safety cell and crash structure, is clad in a high-downforce composite bodywork complete with bi-plane rear wing and double-tunnel diffuser.
Power comes from a 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo four supplied by Ford and reworked by Radical Performance Engines. Thanks to an all-new turbocharger architecture and air induction system, the unit makes 350 hp (355 PS) and 320 lb-ft (434 Nm) of torque. The mill is mated to a six-speed sequential transaxle transmission with paddle shifters and an integral Quaife ATB differential – and, of course, power is sent to the rear wheels alone.
Since the car has a dry weight of only 765 kg (1,687 lbs), the 350 HP output is more than enough to deliver supercar performance. The 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) sprint is dispatched in 3.0 seconds and 0-100 mph (0-161 km/h) takes just 8.4 seconds, while top speed is 165 mph (266 km/h).
To ensure great handling both on twisty roads and racetracks the Rapture features an enhanced version of Radical’s proven Nik-link suspension system complete with adjustable dampers.
The company claims driver and passenger comfort are improved by the two molded racing seats with integral headrests and multi-point harnesses, though the term “comfort” is used very loosely here… The cockpit is minimalist and includes a multi-function digital steering wheel, an LCD display – and that’s about it.
Radical will start taking orders for the British-built Rapture “imminently” as early build slots are now available with the first deliveries scheduled for early August. The company claims it has already received pre-orders from both France and Germany, although no prices have been announced yet.