Crazy radical RXC will ruin your face

Did you see the car above? That is the new Radical RXC, this is a crazy little car, weighing a little less than 2000 pounds, but has an amazing 380 horsepower. It looks like home on the track...but it is legal on the street.

Historically, Radical have built kick-ass little cars meant for the track, or sometimes track cars that happen to be able to be taken on the road, if need be.

For the all-new Radical RXC, they’ve taken it to the next level.

Why is this one different?

This thing looks crazy

So...how can I touch one?

Why is this one different?

For starters, the RXC is the company’s first ever enclosed car. And for a car that you can drive on public roads, that can be a big deal. You know, the whole “inclement weather” thing. Oh, and safety too, I guess. Plus, with an enclosed cockpit they finally took their opportunity to give a car gullwing doors. And who doesn’t love gullwing doors?

But here’s the really interesting part: they’ve taken the 3.7-liter V6 from the new Mustang and dropped it into the RXC’s tiny frame...but not before boosting the horsepower up to a healthy 380 and giving it 320 lb-ft of torque.

If you’re really nice and ask politely (and cough over the cash,) they’ll replace the V6 with a 3.0-liter V8 that somehow manages 480 hp. Not bad for a company that usually fits their cars with engines meant for motorcycles.

For both engines, you’ll get their custom seven-speed paddleshift gearbox that knocks out gears in an F1-like 50ms.

All this gets you a blazingly fast street- and track-monster that will knock out 0 to 62 mph in only 2.8 seconds (that’s quicker than a McLaren P1) and hit a 175 mph top speed (not quite as fast as the McLaren.) We’re not sure about the V8’s performance specs.

This thing looks crazy

You’re right, it does...and it is.

In fact, the body, which is a mix between composite and carbon fiber panels, is designed in such a way that provides 900 kg (1984 lbs) of downforce at speed. Why is that crazy? The car weighs about 900 kg. See where I’m going with this?

Technically, if you were going fast enough and had a loooong tunnel...you could drive the Radical RXC upside-down. Now, who’s up for testing this out? Anyone? Bueller?

Take a look at this video where the lucky bastards over at XCar took the RXC out for a spin:

My favorite comment: “It’s street legal like having sex with a 16.000001 year old is legal.”

So...how can I touch one?

(the car, not the 16.000001 year old)

If you’ve got at least £94,000 ($144,000) you can have one of your own. Otherwise:

If you’re in Europe, the Radical RXC will be on display at Salon Privé in London at the beginning of September, which you should definitely try to attend.

Otherwise, you can not only touch one, but drive one, if you fork out £250 (currently $383) and happen to be around when they run one of their trial days at various tracks around the continent.

Just...try not to die.