Radical V8 Project Steps Up A Gear

Another milestone has been reached in Radical's ambitious V8 project. The first of two lightweight gearboxes being produced by Quaife Engineering, has gone into production and is expected to be ready for testing in about three months.

The transaxle incorporates a transverse six-speed sequential gear cluster with an integral reverse gear. The gear selector mechanism is modelled on the current Radical system, which when coupled with a dry clutch should give one of the slickest sequential gearshifts available.

The transmission system designed jointly by Radical's engine company, Powertec and Quaife Engineering has the same layout favoured by Porsche in their new Carrera GT V10 supercar. The gearbox weighs in at only 36.3kgs, and with the engine weighing only 92.6kgs, the V8 engine and transmission will be one of the lightest commercially available.

As with Radical's current gear drive system manufactured by Quaife, the six-speed transaxle has interchangeable primary and secondary gears which will enable the overall gearing to be changed to suit each application.

The next project on Quaife's list is a conventional lightweight six-speed sequential gearbox for front engine installation.

Click here for the Powertec RPA V8 Specification