Radford Motors, the company founded by English automotive TV personality Ant Anstead and Formula 1 driver Jenson Button, promised to build 12 road-going examples of its Lotus-based Pikes Peak racer, the Type 62-2, for $1 million a pop. Instead, the company has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and customers are coming after it for cars and refunds they say they never received.
Carscoops reports on the situation involving Radford and its customers. The company is facing multiple lawsuits from customers both large and small, but they all have one thing in common: they plunked down sizable deposits, expecting to get a Type 62-2, but never received the cars. One suit filed this summer involves a surgeon and a Lamborghini dealership out of Florida who paid Radford over $1 million for a Type 62-2 Track Edition.
One such lawsuit, filed in July 2024, involves Florida surgeon Scott Katzman and Lamborghini Palm Beach. The luxury car dealership claims it paid $300,000 for a street-legal Lotus-Radford Type 62-2 and sent an additional $750,000 on behalf of Katzman for a track-only Type 62-2 Pikes Peak model back in August 2023. That’s over a million dollars sent Radford’s way, with not a single car delivered in return.
The suit goes on to say that Radford continuously changed and delayed the delivery date for the Type 62-2. Eventually, the company indirectly said the car was never going to be delivered by offering what’s described as a “repayment schedule” for the deposit. Nothing ever came of it, and by the time the suit was filed in July neither Katzman nor the dealership had seen the car or the money.
Another suit filed by a customer named Timothy Tasker describes how he gave Radford a $101,000 deposit back in 2022. Tasker ultimately backed out due to what’s described as a lack of progress by Radford on the Type 62-2. He never received his deposit back.
Another prospective customer is also suing Radford. Timothy Tasker provided Radford with a $101,000 deposit for a Type 62-2 in May 2022, and while meeting with Anstead, as well as co-founder Jenson Button, Tasker says he was told the first deliveries would begin in late 2022 and continue throughout 2023. However, Tasker decided he wanted his money back in October 2023 due to “a lack of progress.”
Tasker alleges that Radford “understood” his concerns and said he would be provided with a full refund. However, the firm has since left his calls and emails unanswered and he is still yet to receive his deposit back.
These suits are in addition to another suit against Anstead and Radford co-founder Daniel Bednarski by their former business partner Pastor Velasco. According to the suit, Velasco says he’s owed $2 million. Another business partner, Roger N. Behlr Jr., is also suing, claiming that “Anstead and co-founder Daniel Bednarski have mismanaged company funds.”
Despite the drama, Anstead is still committed to Radford and bringing the Type 62-2 to market. In a statement, Anstead seems to gloss over the company’s troubles by making it seem as if this is something all startups go through.
As people leading this company, we understand the unique challenges that come with building a premium car brand, including the importance of having partners whose values and vision align completely with our mission. Like many entrepreneurial ventures, our journey has presented both opportunities and challenges. We are grateful for the continued support from our community and remain fully dedicated to advancing the brand’s prestigious heritage.
