Radical hits Ascari with new RXC Spyder [w/video]

For the ultimate track car, enthusiasts need look no further than Radical. The British automaker has been producing open-cockpit LMP-style sports cars you can actually buy since 1997. But with actual Le Mans prototypes switching to closed cockpits, Radical followed with the launch of the RXC last year. True to form, though, the company has turned that coupe back into an open-cockpit model. The resulting flagship model, the new RXC Spyder debuted a couple of weeks ago at the Autosport International show in the UK. And it's been spending most of the time since undergoing testing at the Ascari Race Resort in southern Spain.

As you can see from this onboard video clip the RXC Spyder boasts blistering performance. In fact, we initially assumed it had been sped up until we realized this was the new Mac Daddy from the company responsible for the SR8 that, though barely street legal, will trounce even the fastest of supercars around the Nürburgring. And the RXC Spyder promises to be even faster. It's got the same high-revving 3.0-liter V8 as the coupe, but in an even rawer package: picture driving a beast with 440 horsepower driving to the rear wheels through a seven-speed sequential gearbox but with less than 1,900 pounds to motivate and you'll get the idea.