Road legal Radical Extreme SR3 in the U.S.?
 

http://www.radicalmotorsport.com/

I was checking out their website and it looks like the SR3 can be made road legal in the U.K. Any chance we can get it road legal in the U.S.?

If so, what steps needs to be taken? Has anyone approached or already asked Radical Motorsports about doing this in the U.S.?

No chance of it being Road Legal in the US. Just looking at it would make cops chace you down.

no way.. think "5 MPH crash bumpers"

M.

Seeing as how one of their cars has the lap record at the 'Ring, why are you even worried about it being "road legal"? If a crown vic can catch you in that (assuming you actually have anything remotely resembling "skills" being the wheel), you got problems. ;)

Shoot! Well maybe the insurance will be REALLY high! LOL

I still don't see how its a road legal car in the UK. I can't see being able to stay near the speed limit with the car.

Watch 5th Gear on Speed! They have a shootout of the best cars and pit a Radical against some other road legal, tube framed car made in the UK and they duke it out.

In that show, they show the Radical being driven in the city (don't know which one) and you could see the people staring at it. It's not every day where you see what looks like a race car on the streets in the UK....

I missed that epsiode, and now they have it air at the worst possable times.

the UK has much less strict laws than the US. If its got headlights, tail lights, and turn signals, it's pretty much legal.

:withstupi yeah, we've pretty much let ourselves get screwed out of any nice cars due to the "legislation" our political "leaders" have passed while "representing" our interests. save the idiots, ruin everyone elses' lives

im pretty sure that all kit cars are legal as long as they meet the parameters of a kit car. thats why you can break down a skyline or 959, import it, put it back together, and have it be legal.

lates

I can't see how those are road WORTHY anyplace... with the body work basically flat to the ground like a prototype car all the way around... better live someplace FLAT, and with no transitions. Even the Ultima, though it looks like a GTP car, has the lower body work adapted for the real world.

FWIW though, making a kit car US legal is different than for a manufacturer.

its road legal in Florida. Its not hard to see cars rolling around West Palm and Miami that would be against the law anywhere else. I saw a formula1 car parked outside of a beach club in Miami. Being rich is nice

You serious? I might have to reconsider where I find my next job!!!

I don't like the humidity though....

Those cars are f'n sweet. Saw one last year in Yellow, guy was driving it with both doors open.

In jolly olde England, there is a group that is making a custom bottom end that takes two Hayabusa cylinders and heads to form a lightweight, high revving, V8! They are making well over 300 HP with no major problems, and claim the thing runs and sounds like a poor man's Cosworth DFV. These have reportedly found their way into some Lotus 7 / Caterham type roadsters and wil possibly make it into some Radical sports racer chassis! The video of the roadster looked like performance on the edge of frightening. I'd love to take a tour of the 'Ring in one of those!!!!!

There are kit car laws in just about every state. Someone got busted in the Southeast recently for selling pre-emissions VINs to buyers in California who were using them to register kit Cobras and the like and skirting emissions laws in the process. Just about anything can be made road legal with the right amount of money behind it.

And here's a good Radical video taken at Brands Hatch. I like the guy's style!

http://www.jamesduncan.org/rrxp689/speedcom1.mov

That reminds me of a picture that I saw about 15 years ago - I think in Car and Driver. Some adventurous and wealthy southerner managed to get his friendly local DMV to give him a road licence for his Porsche 917 short tail. Brings a whole new angle to runnin' moonshine across the Mulsanne County line! Police Crown Vics just can't seem to stay in contact with a car that stretched it's legs at 215+ mph at LeMans.

I remember this!... it was some sort of loophole regarding the specification of the car that allowed it to be registered as a truck (thus wih less regulation)!... either displacement, horsepower, tire size... something.

that guy driving the Radical sure is pushing it. Very good control and faster than I'd like to go.... He is obliterating the field and just driving thru them. Talk about varying skill levels out on the track in the same car.

-GNX7

"the UK has much less strict laws than the US. If its got headlights, tail lights, and turn signals, it's pretty much legal."

Sounds kind of like Texas. Only trick would be getting the car registerd in the first place. I see dune buggies, sand rails and other "kit cars" all the time on the road. I guess they maybe titled as 1965 or older to avoid any emmisions or safety standards. Getting liability insurance written might be a problem. I'm not sure how these cars get insured.

I wouldn't want to race with him 'cause he looks like a jerk driver (throwing fists at people). He is fast though....

if you want a street race car check this thing out. when im older i will own one.

http://www.arielmotor.co.uk/

go half way down and check out the track times this thing owns 911 GT3's

http://www.arielmotor.co.uk/04/frames.htm

I saw that car on Fifth Gear on Speed. It seemed alright but I like the looks of the SR3 and if you stick a turbo in that Hayabusa engine, talk about power!!!

The Radical will be faster, 5th Gear showed that. One word DOWNFORCE. It'll help you corner faster. The guy in the video is being very agressive, but he's not being a jerk, he's waiving at the guys he's just passed thanking them for letting him by, he's not "throwing fists" at them. If you've ever been out on a racetrack for a track day you'd know that they use hand signals to point faster cars by and most people will waive to thank them, it's common courtesy. He probably has the turbo also, that'd explain why he goes so much faster.

Thanks for the correction! Now when I get passed by guys like that I'll know they're just waving. Sometimes he looks like he waving but other times it looks like he was getting mad at them.

Now I know....and knowing's half the battle! Yo Joe! ;)

I have been fortunate to drive this lovely little beast. This is the reason my 7 is for sale. As soon as my 7 sells im geting a Radical Prosport 1300. It is simply fantastic.
Without even pushing the car, the owner just bought it and I wast about to trash his 63000 toy, so I took it easy with a 20 min session at Gingerman and with short shifting and using the clutch on both the upshifts and downshifts i did a 1:27.??
the car is an easy low 1:20s with a reasoanble driver and if you push it, likely into the teens at Gman.
I highly recommend this car
1R1

I can't see the video, because .mov licks taint, but if it's a "pump" of the fist, he's mad. I would tend to think, also, if the fingers aren't extended it's a sign of irritation. Maybe not so much a "fuck you very much, Asshat McGoo", but "next time try not to use my front quarter as an apex point, Duder McDouche".

;)

you can buy a radiacal in the u.s. and you can also probably register it as a kit car depending on your state.

Why?

It's not a car you would want to drive on the street. The only way to have any fun in it is at 10/10nths on the track. The limits of the car are way beyond anything you could possibly do on the street.

If you want to have fun on the street just put some stock wheels on your FD and be prepared for the wide empty corners :)

In the video, the first two are definitely "thanks for letting me by" waves, the third one is a sort of palm up "whaddya gonna do?" type motion, and the last one is kind of "c'mon around, I'm pitting". I see no anger or jerk-ness, but he did get pretty freakin' close to some people and cut it very close a couple times, going into that sweeper three-wide on the outside was pretty dumb in my book, as it was clearly just a lapping session. Sheesh.

I'd have to agree, the Radical would be a fun track car but a poor street choice.

BTW, the people selling the Radical in the Washington DC area is FunKtion Auto Group in Dulles, VA

www.funktionauto.com

Mark

I don't want to trailer the thing to the track. I want to drive it there. Maybe if I buy a pickup but since I already have two cars.....maybe if I trade one.... ;)

if you're serious about racing you trailer the car to the track. simple as that. no real racecar is driven to the track

I don't think there's any space in the SR3 to carry all your essentials for a track weekend. You'll at least need a support vehicle. Might as well tow it.

rich + dealer plates = freedom

That's certainly true. However, nothing is more humbling than an ass kicking from a car that's driven to and from the track. A very effective mind game indeed.

Gene

And why do you need to trailer a "real" racecar? Because it's so high strung it won't drive after a race.

My racecars still have plates. :D

I just got back from a track day at Laguna Seca (drove my car there... thank you very much) and there were a number of folks there from Radical WEST including the owner.

He said that a couple people has actually successfully registered their radicals for street use in California by registering them as motorcycles. I didn't get many more details unfortunately. I'm sure this is a VERY gray area.

But... as has been stated several times before... it would be really hard to drive a radical on the street. I think you'd at least have to raise it.

-John

having examined the radical i'd change many things if i owned one. I didn't like a lot of the parts on the car and i certainly wouldn't pay the astronomical 70k they're asking for them stateside.

Additionally yes, all real tried and true racecars are trailered. No raceteam drives their cars to the track. It's just not feasible with a dedicated car. Sure you can take it out on the street once in a blue moon. but a racecar isn't set-up to drive 400miles on varying surfaces in one day. the car is too stiff to do that.

There are some Turbo Hayabusa MC owners making 300-400rwhp..... Insta wheelie machine in any gear.

Imagine just another 100hp in that Radical..... as if you need it!!!! Would be faster than the Audi R8's... they are supposed to do an 8 second 1/4 mile and handle like a madman.

Those Radicals are incredible. Big boy go kart racing that blows away pretty much anything.

-GNX7

The SR4 Radical that holds the WR on the Nordschleife (Nürburgring) was equipped with 1.5L turbo engine. I saw the lap video and its insane. Power drifts at like 250km/h and so on. Amazing skills. Amazing performance. I want it :D

Not everybody drives 400 miles, I only drive about 15 minutes or less.

They do make a 360hp version...the SR8, but couldn't be street legal.

I think many people are forgetting cheaper stateside options.

Just talked to Ariel and a properly outfitted 300 Atom would be 50k.

People also forget the Ultima GTR. An amazing car that holds the world record for 0-100-0 mph at 10.3 s.

I don't know much about racecars but I wouldn't buy a radical.

Radical Legal
 

Actually the owner of Radical West has one that is plated in Nevada. (see this months Road and Track). He has driven it to several events.

Ariel Atom's don't look great. Ultima GTR's are going to cost close to 100K or more plus the build time. I think the Radical in the US is overpriced but if it ever was street legal I would definitely take a loan out for that!

Gosh... I've met the owner several times and he usually FLIES his plane or helicopter to events and has his crew follow with the transporters. (He almost landed his helocopter on top of me once)

But I suppose he might have driven the Radical from Las Vegas to the racetrack he now owns in Pahrump (40 or so miles).

yeah... it would be a ridiculous street car... I've ridden in a bunch at the track and can't imagine how you'd really want to street drive one... but I'd still love to anyway!

No I am sure he doesn't drive it on a regular basis, just for PR I would imagine. I have gone to the Radical West school at Pahrump, if anyone wnats to really know about these cars I would highly suggest it. Great program, tons of seat time and a perfect introduction to the car. Be careful as you may end up mortgaging your house to get one when you are finished!

Street car? I would never consider it, but what a great track car. I have a Lola 700hp Can Am car and this would run circles around it.