The Ford F150 EcoBoost V6 Could Power the Next Nurburgring Record Setter

The Radical SR8 LM holds the record for being the fastest street legal car to ever lap the famed Nürburgring race course with a time of 6 minutes and 48 seconds and even though no other street driven car has come close to that record time – Radical has been developing a new track ready supercar powered by the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 engine similar to the one offered in the Ford F150. When the RXC Turbo reaches production, the aerodynamic new design and the modified Ford EcoBoost V6 could allow this latest Radical supercar to set an even high bar at the Nürburgring. Should that be the case, Radical cars will have turned in the first, second and third best ever laps around “The Ring” while the Porsche 918 Spyder is the only other street car to make it around the 12+ mile track in less than 7 minutes.

Those who are familiar with the Radical SR8 and SR8 LM that current hold the first and second top times at the Nürburgring will recognize that the most noticeable difference with the Ford EcoBoost powered RXC Turbo is the roofline. The Radical SR8 was an open air race car that had just enough done to it to be approved for street use in the United Kingdom so although it is not road legal in most places – the fact that it is legal in its home country allows the company to stake their claim as being the quickest street car around the Nürburgring. Unlike the SR8, the new RXC Turbo relies on a closed cockpit and the improved aerodynamic properties that come with that addition should allow the RXC to beat the times turned in by the SR8 and SR8 LM. Even with the closed cockpit it is very clear that the RXC – like the SR8 before it – is really just a race car and that is why many critics do not include the Radical supercars in Nürburgring lap time discussions but should the RXC Turbo be even a few seconds quicker than the SR8 LM, it will be the quickest car to ever lap The Ring. The current record holder is the race-only Pagani Zonda R with a time of 6:47.5 so slightly quicker Radical RXC Turbo could claim that record. That is mighty impressive whether the car is a legitimate road car or not.

The next biggest difference with the new Radical RSX Turbo is the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 sourced from Ford tucked under the lightweight body panels. While the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 in the Ford F150 offers 365 horsepower and 420lb-ft of torque, the EcoBoost V6 featured in the new Radical RXC Turbo packs 454 horsepower and 500lb-ft of torque. Those numbers don’t seem all that crazy-high but when you consider that the tuned up EcoBoost V6 is packed into a car that weighs just 2,072 pounds. That is enough power to propel this new supercar from nil to 60 miles per hour in just 2.6 seconds en route to a top speed of 185 miles per hour.

When the Radical RXC Turbo goes on sale, it will cost £129,000 which with current exchange rates translates to about $212,000 US dollars so while you can buy a car that will run in the 6:40 range on the Nürburgring and drive it on the streets in the UK – it will cost a pretty penny to do so.

A while back, we talked about how a Ford Motor Company representative had stated that the company won’t bother trying to set a record time with the Mustang GT500 at the Nürburgring but with this new partnership with Radical – Ford could put itself at the very top of the Nürburgring lap time list with the same engine that helps to make the Ford F150 the bestselling vehicle in America.