A Radical Change

One of Britain’s biggest sportscar brands is under new management.

- Rob Ladbrook

Last summer there was a major change within one of Britain’s biggest sportscar marques, but chances are you’d barely have noticed it.

On the surface, the waters of Radical Sportscars’ business were rather serene last year. The company was regularly churning out its much-loved models, and still basking in the glory of the significant milestone of producing its 1000th SR3 chassis – a huge achievement for a firm that started out creating just one or two cars a year for British club racing.

However, beyond the surface ripples ran significantly turbulent undercurrents, and they were strong enough that they threatened to drag the entire Radical brand under.

In May 2016, overseen by Radical shareholders Andreas Zielke and Jan Osterloh, the company underwent a major reshuffle in the boardroom.

Phil Abbott, who co-founded Radical in 1997 alongside fellow engineer and racer Mick Hyde, parted company with the firm he raised from the ground up. Championship coordinator Amanda Abbott followed suit, as did marketing manager Roger Green.

A new management team was installed, led by new CEO Joseph Anwyll, and at last month’s Autosport International Show, Radical Sportscars looked distinctly different to the general public for the first time.

The brand has been remodelled, with a new logo on its face to accompany the staff changes, and its flagship race cars – the SR1, 3 and 8 – have all been completely overhauled, both mechanically and visually.

Radical now has a fresh and sharp image about it and, according to Anwyll, the balanced books to match.

“Radical has undergone a lot of change in less than a year, and the rebranding is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication,” Anwyll tells Motorsport News.