2025: A Standout Year for Differentials at Road & Race

2025 has been a busy and varied year for us at Road & Race Transmissions. As ever, our workload has covered the full spectrum - from routine Limited Slip Differential installations, through to prototype gearbox work and development projects for an OEM. That mix of repeatable, proven work alongside more specialised engineering challenges is something we’ve always valued, and this year has delivered that in spades.

One clear highlight of 2025, however, has been the sheer volume of Drexler Limited Slip Differentials passing through our workshop. Over the course of the year, we’ve found ourselves supplying and building more Drexler units than ever before, to the point where we are now the largest Drexler dealer in the UK.

Importantly, these are not off-the-shelf units. Every Drexler LSD we supply is custom built to our own specifications, based on vehicle, modifications, power delivery, and intended use. The results speak for themselves. The increasing number of repeat customers and referrals confirms what we already know from experience - when correctly specified and installed, a Drexler Diff remains the strongest contender for the best limited slip differential available today.

Throughout the year, we’ve fitted Drexler differentials to an increasingly wide range of vehicles. These have included front-wheel-drive Peugeots and Minis, Porsches, a familiar spread of BMWs, and more Caterhams than we’ve seen in any previous season. We’ve also shipped more complete differentials overseas than before, supplying fully assembled units ready to drop into competition cars. Unlike 2024, nobody flew a private plane over to collect an axle, but we’ll forgive that given the pace of work elsewhere.

Alongside our own builds, we’ve continued to work closely with the Drexler importer, CM Engineering, on several bespoke projects for their clients. One standout example was a Fiat rally car running a BMW M3 rear axle conversion built around a Drexler unit. Projects like these often come with tight deadlines, which occasionally leads to late-night pallet collections and last-minute turnaround jobs, all while maintaining our usual schedule of installations, inspections, and rebuilds.

While Drexler has dominated the headlines for us in 2025, it hasn’t been the only differential keeping us busy. We’ve also fitted more Quaife ATBs this year than we can remember. The majority of these units were installed into new vehicles for an OEM programme, with a significant number of those cars going straight into a one-make race series. With zero warranty claims to date, it reinforces just how reliable the Quaife ATB remains when installed and set up correctly by a professional.

Beyond Drexler and Quaife, we’ve continued to supply and install a wide range of alternative LSD solutions where they are the most appropriate choice. Wavetrac, Titan, Tracsport, Kaaz, and Cusco LSDs have all featured throughout the year, and this broad selection remains, in our view, the best differential options currently available on the market. Choosing the best differential is always application-specific, and having experience across multiple platforms allows us to make informed, unbiased decisions for each build.

Midway through the year, we also saw an influx of less common sequential gearboxes. One notable arrival was a brand-new Kotouc 7-speed sequential gearbox from a Mitsubishi Evo, in for the installation of a Quaife ATB centre differential. We were thoroughly impressed with the engineering, particularly its ability to handle substantial torque from what is still a relatively lightweight package.

Another interesting challenge was a prototype front-wheel-drive sequential gearbox that arrived fully disassembled. With design changes made during development and diagrams that didn’t entirely match the final hardware, reassembly required a methodical approach and the manufacture of several special tools. Alongside these one-off jobs, we’ve continued rebuilding more familiar units such as the Quaife 60G, Sadev SCL82-17, and Drenth DG400.

H-pattern gearboxes have also formed a steady part of our workload throughout 2025. We’ve carried out numerous rebuilds and upgrades, including fitting Tracsport gearkits to Ford Type-9 gearboxes and Quaife gearkits to Mazda MX5 NC transmissions. To round out the year, we also ordered a rarely seen G-Force H-pattern dog box for one of our customers - a gearbox designed to tolerate serious power and sustained abuse. We’re looking forward to seeing how that performs this season, paired with the custom Drexler differential we built for the same car back in 2024.

Overall, 2025 has been one of our most varied and technically rewarding years to date. From record-breaking Drexler LSD supply to numerous sequential gearbox rebuilds, it’s been a year that reinforces why careful specification and quality installation matter. We’d like to thank all our customers for their continued trust, and we wish everyone the best of luck heading into the 2026 race season.