The Radical SR3: A Street Legal Track Car with a Reputation for Radness

As we take a closer look at this latest radical, it's clear that its reputation is top-notch. The company behind it has been around since 1997 and has sold over a thousand machines to car-loving enthusiasts around the globe. But what sets this particular model apart? At first glance, it looks like just 68 Grands worth of fiberglass - but don't be fooled. The real refinement comes from the radical's choice of engine. Instead of the usual snarling and shaking that you get in cars like this, the radical's four-cylinder unit is usually found in a Ford Focus, providing none of that hardy strung noise.

Despite its compact size, the radical still manages to accelerate from 0-60mph in just three seconds, and it weighs in at around 780 kilos. But what really sets it apart is its semi-automatic gearbox, which is manual but with an automatic paddle shift change. This means that the driver can have complete control over the car's speed and acceleration, making for a truly exhilarating driving experience. And yet, despite all this power and agility, the radical doesn't feel too twitchy or hard to handle - it's actually quite well sorted.

But there is one other car out there that could give the radical a run for its money: the Radical Atom. This two-seat track weapon has 300 brake horsepower and is road legal, making it a formidable opponent on any circuit. And yet, despite all this power, the Atom costs half as much as the radical - which makes it an even more attractive option for those looking to spend their hard-earned cash on a high-performance car.

In a battle of wits between these two cars, the results are far from conclusive. In fact, they're so close that it's difficult to say who actually wins. The radical does manage to edge ahead by half a second, but only because it has a slightly more refined engine and better handling in corners. But make no mistake - both cars are absolute beasts on the track, and those looking for a true adrenaline rush won't be disappointed.

As we take a closer look at each car, it becomes clear that they're two very different machines. The radical is like a single-seater racing car, with tons of grip and handling but just a hint of power. On the other hand, the Atom is more like an open-wheel racing car - fast, furious, and utterly exhilarating. But despite their differences, both cars share one thing in common: they're absolute hoots to drive.

So who comes out on top? Well, that's hard to say for sure. But one thing's for certain - both the radical and the Atom are exceptional cars that will put a smile on your face every time you get behind the wheel. And if you're looking for a truly unforgettable driving experience, then these two cars should definitely be on your shortlist.

Whether it's the radical or the Atom, there's one thing that's certain: these cars are not for the faint of heart. They require skill and finesse to handle properly, but when you master them, they're truly unbeatable. So if you're looking for a car that will challenge you and push you to your limits, then these two radical machines should definitely be on your radar.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is the latest radical sr3 the SL SL stands for street legal at first glance it's just 68 Grands worth of fiberglass but it's supposedly the perfect car for those Nutters who don't just want to race a car on the track they want to drive it there too in a moment we'll find out if it's good enough to beat the king of this sector the aerial atam but first a lesson you may not have heard of radical but their reputation is topnotch they made their first car in 1997 and have since gone on to RAC at lall they've sold over a thousand machines to car-loving lunatics around the globe and believe it or not this is the most civilized version yet as you can see it's absolutely Laden with luxuries like a cigarette lighter the real refinement comes from the radical's choice of engine the four cylinder unit is usually found in a four Focus so there's none of the Hardy strung snarling shaking and spitting you usually get in cars like this it still gets to 60 in 3 seconds mind you weighs about uh 780 kilos it's got a semi-automatic gearbox it's manual but with an automatic paddle shift change now one of the things when you put a turbocharged engine in a light rear wheel drive car like this is it can to make it a bit Twitchy to drive a bit hard work to be honest with power over steer all the time not so with this it's very well sorted I mean Christ we're doing a 100 m an hour it doesn't feel like it it's actually really good fun but there's a rival and this is it this car the aerial atam is fifth Gear's favorite track car and like the radical it's road legal got 300 brake horsepower and is a two- seat track weapon quite frankly it'll leave your hair as bad as mine but there's a difference this only costs half as much it's been a long time since I drove this card every time I get in it man does it make your face smile you know it certainly feels quicker a bit more lively the best bit for me is the engine it's got real grunt over 6,000 revs so it's very well set up yeah it's good it doesn't break as well as the radical moves around a bit more but it's much more fun so petrol heads we need to have a race because if the radical isn't any quicker than the aerial then there's no point in spending the extra 33 Grand so here's a driver's eye view of one lap around the angle seed racetrack you won't believe how close it is start the clock both cars get off the line well and are neck and neck to turn one hitting the Apex at exactly the same time at the next right-hander it's obvious how much steering input the aerial needs to keep its rear in line I tell you what you've really got to concentrating such a lively bit of Kit the aerial then pulls a small advantage on the straight rice that's quick now the radical Falls half a second behind I'm just lacking a bit a bit of horse f it just feels very underpowered but the radical stability under breaking means it easily catches it back up the cars hit the middle of the next Corner bang together the atom has less grip and needs much more corrective steering in this highspeed right hander it picks up better on the exit though so the cars remain level it's two very different styles and while the atom is much harder work it's much more fun don't mess it up come on but still the cars can't be split tracing the same racing line at the same time as they enter the final left-hander it's still too close to call who's your money off um stop the clock the radical crossed the line with a time of 1 minute 17.20 and the Ariel's time was 1 minute 17.11 that's just 900s of a second faster cars like this are not normally my thing but I have to say my mind has been changed the radical well it's so like a single seater race car it kind of reminds me of my days in Formula 3 tons of grip but just lacking in a bit of power where's the atom well that's an assault on all your senses the engine is stunning and at nearly half the price of the radical it's got to be my choice all right take Qui prayer on his lap karun had to decide exactly how much throttle to apply on my lap the car was doing it for me three two one any whe spin with that sort of power time's gone gotthis is the latest radical sr3 the SL SL stands for street legal at first glance it's just 68 Grands worth of fiberglass but it's supposedly the perfect car for those Nutters who don't just want to race a car on the track they want to drive it there too in a moment we'll find out if it's good enough to beat the king of this sector the aerial atam but first a lesson you may not have heard of radical but their reputation is topnotch they made their first car in 1997 and have since gone on to RAC at lall they've sold over a thousand machines to car-loving lunatics around the globe and believe it or not this is the most civilized version yet as you can see it's absolutely Laden with luxuries like a cigarette lighter the real refinement comes from the radical's choice of engine the four cylinder unit is usually found in a four Focus so there's none of the Hardy strung snarling shaking and spitting you usually get in cars like this it still gets to 60 in 3 seconds mind you weighs about uh 780 kilos it's got a semi-automatic gearbox it's manual but with an automatic paddle shift change now one of the things when you put a turbocharged engine in a light rear wheel drive car like this is it can to make it a bit Twitchy to drive a bit hard work to be honest with power over steer all the time not so with this it's very well sorted I mean Christ we're doing a 100 m an hour it doesn't feel like it it's actually really good fun but there's a rival and this is it this car the aerial atam is fifth Gear's favorite track car and like the radical it's road legal got 300 brake horsepower and is a two- seat track weapon quite frankly it'll leave your hair as bad as mine but there's a difference this only costs half as much it's been a long time since I drove this card every time I get in it man does it make your face smile you know it certainly feels quicker a bit more lively the best bit for me is the engine it's got real grunt over 6,000 revs so it's very well set up yeah it's good it doesn't break as well as the radical moves around a bit more but it's much more fun so petrol heads we need to have a race because if the radical isn't any quicker than the aerial then there's no point in spending the extra 33 Grand so here's a driver's eye view of one lap around the angle seed racetrack you won't believe how close it is start the clock both cars get off the line well and are neck and neck to turn one hitting the Apex at exactly the same time at the next right-hander it's obvious how much steering input the aerial needs to keep its rear in line I tell you what you've really got to concentrating such a lively bit of Kit the aerial then pulls a small advantage on the straight rice that's quick now the radical Falls half a second behind I'm just lacking a bit a bit of horse f it just feels very underpowered but the radical stability under breaking means it easily catches it back up the cars hit the middle of the next Corner bang together the atom has less grip and needs much more corrective steering in this highspeed right hander it picks up better on the exit though so the cars remain level it's two very different styles and while the atom is much harder work it's much more fun don't mess it up come on but still the cars can't be split tracing the same racing line at the same time as they enter the final left-hander it's still too close to call who's your money off um stop the clock the radical crossed the line with a time of 1 minute 17.20 and the Ariel's time was 1 minute 17.11 that's just 900s of a second faster cars like this are not normally my thing but I have to say my mind has been changed the radical well it's so like a single seater race car it kind of reminds me of my days in Formula 3 tons of grip but just lacking in a bit of power where's the atom well that's an assault on all your senses the engine is stunning and at nearly half the price of the radical it's got to be my choice all right take Qui prayer on his lap karun had to decide exactly how much throttle to apply on my lap the car was doing it for me three two one any whe spin with that sort of power time's gone got\n"