Radical RXC vs Donkervoort D8 GTO
If I ever have the good fortune of getting to drive, or *gasp* own a Radical RXC someday, it will be due in part to the efforts of Jeffrey Cheng. The California resident worked closely with UK-based Radical Sportscars and the state of California to become the first US resident to legally register his RXC back in January 2014, setting the precedent for future American Radical customers.
Mr. Cheng, I take it, was keen on the idea of owning what is essentially a road-legal Le Mans Prototype racer, built using extensive CAD modeling and data gained during Radical’s foray into the LMP2 class with their SR9 project—all under the watchful eye of Radical’s Managing Director Phil Abbott and Chief Designer Nick Walford.
The RXC weighs roughly 900kg (1984lbs.) dry and produces downforce levels equal to its own mass at speed, meaning it could theoretically drive upside in a tunnel if the lightweight, hyper-GT car were going fast enough. In reality, all these figures tell us that the RXC, with its fully-adjustable GT3-spec rear wing—has cornering capabilities that are far beyond the reach of mere mortals—and is best suited for use at your local road course rather than the neighborhood strip mall.
Two V6 engines are offered: a 3.7-liter Ford Cyclone with 350-hp, which can produce 380-hp when specified with the option for six individual throttle bodies, or a 3.5-liter twin-turbo Ford EcoBoost with 454-hp and 500-ft lbs. of torque @ 3,600 rpm, apparently created with the North American market in mind.
If ripping through your neighborhood as if it were the Mulsanne straight sounds like your idea of a good time, then the Donkervoort D8 GTO is also an ultra-lightweight, bare bones sports car you might consider. The Dutch-built, open-cockpit D8 looks like a cross between a Lotus 7 and War Machine. The approximately 1500lbs. D8 uses the five-cylinder engine from the Audi TT RS and comes with either 340-hp in Touring trim or 380-hp as the Performance model. With a 0-62 mph time of 2.8 seconds (Performance model), the D8 GTO is one of the few cars in the world that the RXC wouldn’t obliterate in a short drag race.
Donkervoort’s company motto is “No Compromise,” which is why the D8 GTO comes with no ABS, power steering or stability control. The standard equipment list sounds pretty sparse for a car with a $215,000 price tag, but what you do get is a full carbon-fiber/kevlar body, Lambo doors and an AiM lap timer and data recorder—and the satisfaction of knowing you are about as nuts as someone who owns a Radical.
I mean nuts as a term of endearment; it’s my way of showing respect to those who have the financial means and mental gall to circumvent convention and express their motoring personalities however they see fit, without regard to how they may be perceived by those, who let’s face it, just aren’t cool—or brave—enough to own a Radical or Donkervoort.
