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Radford Type 62-2 John Player Special takes the coach-built sports car even higher

Radford revealed its Type 62-2 a month ago, and today the coach-building company is releasing its first 62-2 variant. It’s simply called the JPS, short for John Player Special. YouÂ’d be able to guess that just by looking at the car, though, as itÂ’s completely done up in the traditional John Player Special black and gold livery. This JPS Type 62-2 isnÂ’t just a livery either. ItÂ’s the most extreme version of the car, even more so than the Gold Leaf version of the standard Radford that improves matters over the “Classic” model. Engine output sees a sharp turn upwards from 500 horsepower to 600 horsepower in the JPS. ItÂ’s still using the 3.5-liter supercharged V6 youÂ’d find in the Lotus Evora (an engine Lotus borrows from Toyota), but this one is heavily modified. Radford says it uses upgraded pistons, new connecting rods, camshafts and an upgraded supercharger. Plus, itÂ’s running a more aggressive engine calibration. Hauling it to a stop are upgraded brakes — Radford uses carbon ceramic rotors and AP calipers. New and larger carbon composite wheels (18-inch front and 19-inch rear) from Dymag are fitted and wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Plenty of appearance and aero changes are made to separate the JPS from the other Type 62-2s. Radford says itÂ’s either lightly massaged or made big changes to every area of the bodywork. YouÂ’ll notice a giant new splitter up front, larger side air intakes to cool the more powerful engine and a more extreme diffuser in back to produce more downforce. WeÂ’ll also note that the JPS “livery” is not a sticker package; itÂ’s all painted on, requiring hours and hours of work by hand. Pricing for the JPS hasnÂ’t been revealed, but itÂ’s guaranteed to be expensive. This special model will be sliced out of the total production of Type 62-2s. Only 12 of the 62 total cars will be the John Player Special cars, so theyÂ’ll be incredibly rare — Radford says itÂ’s currently taking build slot applications, so you still have a shot at buying one. If you want to see the JPS in person, Radford says it will be on display at this yearÂ’s Goodwood Revival. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lotus Type 132 electric crossover spotted testing in China

Thanks to Carscoops, we know that Weibo Chinese social media user Ductile Iron BX spotted a Lotus Type 132 prototype testing on Chinese roads. This is the vehicle that will inaugurate the English sports car maker's transition to a battery-electric future and its future as a purveyor of crossovers, the once dirty word among the light-and-simple crowd that's just too profitable to ignore. In profile, the long, low roof makes the Type 132 look more like a jacked-up Allroad-style wagon than a traditional crossover. The heavy camo can't hide the jutting tail that holds a deployable spoiler. Those regular-sized wheels look good, but they don't fill the arches that way we've come to expect from speedy SUVs; we won't be surprised if larger rims appear on the debut model, with an option for even larger rims. The treatment of the rear quarter glass, which looks like a vent, is a neat touch. We know black drapery hides other touches like an active lower grille, its hexagonal mesh peppered with panels that twirl open to provide the right combination of powertrain cooling and vehicle aerodynamics, and some kind of sensor unit rising from the roof. Nor can the camouflage hide the sharp lines throughout, from the concave front fascia to the arced rear fenders to the dramatic rear bumper. This could be a good looking start to Lotus' people-hauler era. The Type 132 is expected to debut this spring, riding on the firm's Evolution Architecture for premium vehicles and featuring 800-volt electrics and a battery with a possible 120-kilowatt capacity. Lotus has said the crossover will reach 60 miles per hour in under 3. seconds, an estimate that probably refers to the dual-motor version that might put out as much as 750 horsepower. Even though the Type 132's place in the luxury segment will see it lined up against entries like the Aston Martin DBX and Porsche Cayenne, this being the first super-sporty CUV from this OEM, it will undoubtedly spend the early part of its life thrown into battles with the Tesla Model X. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Race recap: 2015 British Grand Prix is a testament to timing

In front of his home crowd, Lewis Hamilton actually had to work for pole position at the British Formula One Grand Prix. The World Champion couldn't get on top of the setup for his Mercedes-AMG Petronas on Friday, lapping behind teammate Nico Rosberg and the two Ferraris. Come Saturday, after a few alterations and a whole lot of wing to clamp down on understeer, Hamilton returned to his regular program at the front, taking pole position by just over a tenth of a second from his teammate. Williams, thought to be headed for another stretch in the weeds a few races ago, showed its best strength all year. The Grove team got both cars on the second row and in front of the Ferraris, Felipe Massa qualifying ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas, but they were eight and nine tenths behind the Mercedes'. Kimi Raikkonen out-qualified Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel for the second time this year, and only the first time in a straight-up battle with two healthy cars. But more than a second behind the two cars at the front, and with two nearly-impossible-to-pass Williams' in front, neither the Finn nor the German is happy with where they are. Daniil Kvyat claimed seventh, his side of the garage at Infiniti Red Bull Racing having got through the weekend to that point without a single complaint about their Renault power unit. Carlos Sainz, Jr. put a single Toro Rosso inside the top ten in eighth position, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg who did the same for Sahara Force India by slotting in ninth. The second Infiniti Red Bull driven by Daniel Ricciardo did have an unspecified engine complaint – his car kept "bleeding power" on the straights – but even so he managed to qualify tenth with his second-fastest lap. The stewards deleted his best lap because he ran three centimeters outside the track limits at Copse, an infraction that stung a few other drivers as well. Up in front, what would sting the Mercedes-AMG Petronas drivers the most was the start. That's when a dearth of grip struck both Hamilton and Rosberg, allowing Massa and Bottas to slide right up the middle between them and take the first two places. The leapfrogging was so surprising that it looked like the Mercedes drivers were giving the Williams drivers a head start. They diced through the first corners, Hamilton sliding past Bottas into second place halfway through the lap. And then the safety car reported for duty.