Radford coachbuilders preview Lotus-based sports car

Radford has announced that it will team up with Lotus to develop its first car under new ownership.

Releasing a single shadowy teaser of what looks like a low-slung four-seater sports car, the reborn coachbuilder part-owned by former F1 racer Jenson Button has confirmed it will be "built on Lotus technology".

Other than the fact that the still-to-be-named sports car will be built in limited numbers, no further details have been released.

There's also no word if Radford's first model in the modern era will be underpinned by the current Elise, Exige or Evora architecture or if it will benefit from the latest platform that's been developed for the incoming new-generation 2021 Lotus Emira.

What's certain is the new Radford is set to benefit from a luxurious retrimmed cabin and come with a bold paint finish that the former Rolls-Royce and Bentley coachbuilder was famed for.

Commenting on the new mystery model, Button said: “We’re already hard at work developing this car and the driving experience will be different and very special. It’s going to be truly analogue and thoroughly engaging, but with all the refinements that you would expect from a Radford. 

“It will drive like nothing else. There is a purity to driving that is lost in many cars of today. I will ensure we create a driver’s car, a trait that is embedded within the DNA of all Lotus cars.”

Founded in the late 1940s by Harold Radford, the British coachbuilder first established itself offering bespoke bodies and interiors.

Some of the revisions offered to wealthy buyers in the early days included an on-board cocktail cabinet, electric shaver, ice box and kettle, plus seats that fold flat into a double bed.

In the 1960s, Radford moved on to creating luxurious coach-built versions of the then-new Mini, a move that was applauded by all four members of The Beatles and rock god Eric Clapton.