Radford Motors, the corporate based by English automotive TV persona Ant Anstead and System 1 driver Jenson Button, promised to construct 12 road-going examples of its Lotus-based Pikes Peak racer, the Sort 62-2, for $1 million a pop. As a substitute, the corporate has filed Chapter 11 chapter and clients are coming after it for automobiles and refunds they are saying they by no means obtained.
Carscoops stories on the scenario involving Radford and its clients. The corporate is going through a number of lawsuits from clients each giant and small, however all of them have one factor in widespread: they plunked down sizable deposits, anticipating to get a Sort 62-2, however by no means obtained the automobiles. One swimsuit filed this summer season includes a surgeon and a Lamborghini dealership out of Florida who paid Radford over $1 million for a Sort 62-2 Observe Version.
One such lawsuit, filed in July 2024, includes Florida surgeon Scott Katzman and Lamborghini Palm Seaside. The luxurious automobile dealership claims it paid $300,000 for a street-legal Lotus-Radford Sort 62-2 and despatched a further $750,000 on behalf of Katzman for a track-only Sort 62-2 Pikes Peak mannequin again in August 2023. That’s over one million {dollars} despatched Radford’s manner, with not a single automobile delivered in return.
The swimsuit goes on to say that Radford repeatedly modified and delayed the supply date for the Sort 62-2. Finally, the corporate not directly stated the automobile was by no means going to be delivered by providing what’s described as a “compensation schedule” for the deposit. Nothing ever got here of it, and by the point the swimsuit was filed in July neither Katzman nor the dealership had seen the automobile or the cash.
One other swimsuit filed by a buyer named Timothy Tasker describes how he gave Radford a $101,000 deposit again in 2022. Tasker finally backed out attributable to what’s described as a scarcity of progress by Radford on the Sort 62-2. He by no means obtained his deposit again.
One other potential buyer can also be suing Radford. Timothy Tasker supplied Radford with a $101,000 deposit for a Sort 62-2 in Could 2022, and whereas assembly with Anstead, in addition to co-founder Jenson Button, Tasker says he was advised the primary deliveries would start in late 2022 and proceed all through 2023. Nevertheless, Tasker determined he wished his a reimbursement in October 2023 attributable to “a scarcity of progress.”
Tasker alleges that Radford “understood” his issues and stated he could be supplied with a full refund. Nevertheless, the agency has since left his calls and emails unanswered and he’s nonetheless but to obtain his deposit again.
These fits are along with one other swimsuit towards Anstead and Radford co-founder Daniel Bednarski by their former enterprise accomplice Pastor Velasco. In response to the swimsuit, Velasco says he’s owed $2 million. One other enterprise accomplice, Roger N. Behlr Jr., can also be suing, claiming that “Anstead and co-founder Daniel Bednarski have mismanaged firm funds.”
Regardless of the drama, Anstead remains to be dedicated to Radford and bringing the Sort 62-2 to market. In a press release, Anstead appears to gloss over the corporate’s troubles by making it appear as if that is one thing all startups undergo.
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