Radical RXC hits American roads for $170k [w/video]

If you're looking for the ultimate racecar for the road, look no further than the Radical RXC. The trouble is that while the RXC is nominally capable of driving on public roads, like most Radicals it wasn't certified for the United States. But now it has been.

According to a statement released by the manufacturer, the RXC has passed "the required tests for road registration in California." The type-approval process was apparently undertaken principally by Radical customer Jeffrey Cheng, who can be seen in the video below (and the photo above) driving his orange RXC to Cars and Coffee in Irvine late last month. However exceptional the approval may be, it has paved the way for Radical to begin taking orders for the new RXC in the US. Radical tells us that the first registrations are being undertaken on a case-by-case basis, but that it is working on getting type-approval for sale across the United States.

Interested customers can expect to pay a minimum base price of $171,280 for a US-delivered RXC, but of course that's just the starting point. Upgrade to the new 454-horsepower EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 (which was apparently developed with the US market in mind) and you'll have to fork over another $17,085, or if you want the 500-horsepower V8 option, it'll set you back an extra $28,960 over list. The carbon kit will set you back another $3k, air-con almost $5k,, the same again for an FIA-compliant fuel tank, $3,655 for an air jack system, and $5,500 for telemetry system. As you can see, it doesn't take long to break through the $200k mark with all the options available, and you'll have to put down 25 percent upon placing the order.

Whichever options are (or are not) selected, you're looking at what essentially boils down to a road-going Daytona Prototype if we've ever seen one. So it's only fitting that it should be available Stateside.