Since its August introduction, we have seen plenty of the Lotus Type 62-2 by Radford. It looks slick, with a retro design and modern technology, and soon it will enter production. New photos show Formula One World Champion Jenson Button behind the wheel for the first time during the car’s final pre-production testing phase, where Radford completed its on-track development.

“The car felt great, well balanced in high and low-speed corners, and ran faultlessly all day which is the perfect base for the months of setup tweaking that will follow for me,” Button said. “We want to ensure that this car is a pure driver’s car that pays both due respects to the DNA of Lotus but also delivers the luxury of a Radford.” Since the beginning, Button has been involved with the car’s design, development, and engineering.

Gallery: Lotus Type 62-2 By Radford

Radford took inspiration for its creation from the Lotus Type 62 race car of the 1960s, though the Type 62-2 pairs the retro styling with a modern chassis, taking components from the latest Lotus Evora. The Radford is available in different specs, with the Classic delivering 430 bhp from its Evora-sourced supercharged 3.5-litre V6. The John Player Special gets a new supercharger to increase the engine’s output to 600 bhp. A Gold Leaf trim splits the difference at 500 bhp.

The JPS is the showstopper, with an estimated 186-mile-per-hour top speed. It can hit 62 mph in 2.9 seconds and can hit 124 mph in 8.3 seconds. Having a sub-1,000-kilogram dry weight helps. With final pre-production testing complete, Radford can begin looking toward delivering the final product, which should begin in the second quarter of 2022. Radford will make just 62 examples of the Type 62-2, and the company has already started commissioning production slots.