Automotive

F1 champion-backed Radford launches limited edition Lotus with over 500 3D printed parts

The nominations for the2021 3D Printing Industry Awards现在开放。您认为谁应该在今年的演出中列出入围名单?现在有发言权。

Historic coachbuilding firm拉德福德is attempting to blend the technologies of the past with those of the future by using 3D printing to bring back the classicLotusType 62-2 race car.

Working withStratasys Direct,,,,the British carmaker is building 62 limited edition reimaginings of the 1960s icon, with each featuring over 500 3D printed parts, that can be customized to meet their individual owners’ desires. In keeping with Lotus’ heritage, the resulting ‘Radford Type 62-2s’ is set to be ultra-light, weighing less than 1,000 kg, and fitted with much beefier engines that churn out up to 600hp.

“We’re not just designing a car and asking people what color they want or whether they want it in a different trim level,” the car’s lead designer Mark Stubbs toldTop Gear。“They can change the panels, the surfaces, everything. If somebody came to us with a blank cheque, we could design and build a car from the ground up for them, and that’s what a true coachbuilder is.”

“If [Radford Founder] Harold Radford had a 3D printer capable of printing titanium and carbon wheels back in 1948, he would have used them.”

拉德福德的限量版62-2赛车中的“金叶”装饰。
雷德福的限量版62 - 2型赛车的Gold Leaf’ trim. Image via Radford.

21st-century coachbuilding

Founded by and named after Harold Radford in 1948, Radford quickly gained itself a reputation for building custom本特利,,,,Aston Martinsand迷你。The firm’s exploits attracted clients from British pop stars like Twiggy to Enzo Ferrari, but that didn’t stop it from going into liquidation in 1966, and its pedigree has since been lost in time.

然而,2009年一级方程式世界冠军詹森·纽(Jenson Button)现在已经与电视主持人蚂蚁·安斯特(Ant Anstead)合作,带回了拉德福德(Radford)的教练建筑专业知识,并以21世纪的变化带来了。例如,这家恢复的公司的首次发布是一种莲花批准的62型,基于2010年发射的Evora GT汽车的底盘,但是用于构建它的技术和材料更现代。

By working closely with Stratasys Direct, Radford has found that it’s able to produce highly customized parts for its revamped Type 62s in low-volumes. Although the exact nature of the car’s 3D printed components remains under wraps, it’s understood that they’re being made to client specifications, implying that they could be fitted to the vehicle’s interior.

拉德福德复兴的背后团队,包括F1世界冠军Jenson Button。
拉德福德(Radford)复兴的团队,包括前F1世界冠军Jenson Button(右)。通过Autocar的照片。

Given the design optimization that’s been achieved elsewhere in the automotive sector, it’s also likely that the vehicle’s lightweight stance is due in part to 3D printing-related weight savings. Of course, the car’s new aluminum chassis and a carbon-fiber body will also have had something to do with this, but either way, the vehicle’s featherweight frame should make it fast out on the open road, really fast.

While Radford’s standard Type 62-2 packs 430 hp, the ‘Gold Leaf’ revamp, of which only 12 will be made, features a 3.5 liter supercharged V6 emitting 500 hp, and the ultra-exclusive ‘JPS’ model will churn out an impressive 600 hp.

Just last week, on August 13, 2021, Radford showed off its Type 62-2 in public for the first time at California’s Quail Lodge Show, and it’s now taking orders with deliveries expected in 2022. While many of these retro vehicles have already been sold, Stubbs says that it’s this level of exclusivity, along with their 3D printing-enabled customization, that makes them so much more special than ordinary road cars.

“Advances in technology have ushered in a new era of this historic craft, making it possible to achieve levels of quality and design never before possible, and deliver them in an extremely short time,” Stubbs added in an interview withThis is Money。“这使我们能够以惊人的真实性唤起标志性汽车的精神,并为业主提供定制的最终。”

“It’s all about creating a feeling of driving something timeless. Something that doesn’t look or feel like anything else on the road.”

雷德福的限量版62 - 2赛车“黄金Leaf' trim in front of an Army plane.
拉德福德(Radford)62-2型赛车的最快版本据说是600 hp发动机。通过拉德福德的照片。

带回经典

在过去的几年中,几家汽车公司采用了3D打印和扫描,作为逆向工程的一种手段,并生产了稀有或停产的汽车零件。2021年6月Sauber Engineering AGrevealed that it intends to set up a备用部分3D打印业务,,,,which is designed to address the repair needs of vintage car enthusiasts.

同样地,SOLIZEannounced in March 2021 that it was working withHP在类似的项目中3D print NISMO spares为了Nissan’s停产的跑车。Solize的工程师使用3D建模和HP的MJF平台,已经能够为Heritage Skyline GT-RS等复古车辆设计和打印组件。

再到2017年5月,英国恢复团队Redesign Sport也使用3D扫描到反向工程师经典法拉利。利用Creaformdevice, the firm found it possible to scan parts of a 1952 Ferrari 225 before outsourcing their production, and fitting them ready for an exhibition at古德伍德复兴

The nominations for the2021 3D Printing Industry Awards现在开放。您认为谁应该在今年的演出中列出入围名单?现在有发言权。

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Featured image shows Radford’s limited edition Type 62-2 race car in ‘Gold Leaf’ trim. Image via Radford.