Up and Atom
Strap two seats to a 160 hp 2.0 liter Honda engine, a steering wheel and four tires and you have the premise of the Ariel Atom performance car. As their website proclaims: "No doors. No screen. No roof." The Atom is basically a race car, sans body panels. The entire car weighs a little over 1000 pounds and has a better power to weight ratio than the Porsche 911 so says the site. Though there are no dealers in the United States due to safety standards I'm sure – I wonder if you could get one just for track use?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
CJ 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
I dunno. In the used section there's this listing:
Ariel Atom 220 Left Hand Drive USA
Mileage: 2,900
Year: 2003
Colour: Red
Specification: 220 Honda, 6 speed, Road Pack, LSD, Baffled Sump, Alcon Brakes front, competition brakes rear, Adjustable bounce and rebound dampers, Eibach race and assister springs, competition rod ends, removable steering wheel, polished stainless exhaust system, stainless fixings, 17" wheel package, shift light quick release steering wheel, 3" harnesses, locking fuel cap.
Notes: Washington registration
Price: $52,500 (US Dollars)
Ref: RS
It seems likes it's registered for the roads....
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Whydrive 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
If this sucker is registered for the road, I don't know which car I would feel safer driving in on the same streets as Hummer sized vehicles - the Lotus Elise or this.
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tech222 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
If you want to see this car thrashed on the track download the December 26th, 2004 episode of Top Gear.
http://gear.viper007bond.com/downloads.php?display=72
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Jon 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
The profile section of Ariel's website seems to be dated. It appears that the base engine is now rated at 220 bhp. Optionally you can order one with two supercharged choices, 275 or 300 bhp. The base 220 bhp engine will give the 1005 lb car .2189 hplb. which compares favorably with the .2193 hplb of an Enzo.
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Dan from Delaware 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
I don't know why you'd buy one of these things. It's way too impractical for street use. If you want a track-only car then why not buy a sports racer or a formula car?
Maybe I'm just getting old. This "race car for the street" thing just seems dated. Race cars and street cars parted ways a long time ago. Something that tries to split the difference ends up being neither fish nor fowl.
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Andrew 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
There's some good reading in the press section of their website, linked below. Wow. My dreams of S2000s and Elises have been swept away. What's the availability in the US?
http://www.arielmotor.co.uk/04/press.htm
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Peter Orosz 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
Definitely check out the Top Gear episode (12/26/2004) where Clarkson rides this thing, the wind almost rips his face off. The car's apparently street legal in the UK. On the Top Gear test track, it was in the same league as the Enzo and the Carrera GT. Insanely cool car.
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brian b 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
this looks awesome. i want one, not for $50k, but want one anyway
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JT 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
The Top Gear episode is also avalable on the Ariel site in the press section.
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Mark Allerton 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
Clarkson's face in that Top Gear episode has to be one of the scariest things I've ever seen on TV. I was sitting there cringing while watching it... bet he wishes he'd worn a helmet.
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Steven 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
Jeremy's face while driving this beast is priceless.
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Andrew 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
Downloaded and still seeding the Torrent. I just watched the full episode. Sat through some boring reviews of the G55 SUV (okay it's mildly interesting) and Korean hatchbacks. The Ariel feature is at the end. The camera angles they used were slightly frustrating - the sense of speed wasn't quite there. You could tell the Ariel was fast and controlled, much faster than the CBR through the bends, but in general the camera angles were too tight, and I didn't get a sense of its speed or acceleration. Their footage of the Carrera GT was much more convincing. All we get to see is Clarkson's face deforming. Yikes! I'd like to see cockpit footage of the Ariel passing Porsches, Corvettes, and Ferrari's on a track. The numbers they posted however were spectacular. It's essentially an oversized track-only super kart. I don't know if I'd want to drive it in the streets around here. Minimal crash-worthiness. Great stiff chassis, but what about crumple zones? Airbags?
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bruce fielding 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
The Atom in Seattle is street legal. The factory are currently trying to get approval for more to be exported to the States. In the UK lots of us drive them on public roads in the cold and wet (not that we get much choice most of the year). If you ever get the chance to sit in the passenger seat on road or track, grab it with both hands - you'll never forget it.
The car is available as (bhp) 160; 220; 245; 275 (supercharged); and 300 (supercharged) depending on the engine management.
As for crashworthiness, I know of one that took out nine armco uprights at a racetrack following an off at c.70mph and although the frame was a little bent, the driver walked away with a bruised knee. It's a LOT safer than a Caterham or a Radical.
And at a trackday last weekend, nothing overtook me in my 220bhp - not even the three Porsche GT3RSs who shared the track with me. And one guy with a BMW M3CSL got so upset with me overtaking him, that he called the factory monday morning to place an order!
Bruce Fielding
Chairman, Ariel Atom Owner's Club
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Harry Blanchard 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
Do you know how to reach the owner of the Seattle car? I am interested in it.
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Harry Blanchard 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
Do you know how to reach the owner of the Seattle car? I am interested in it.
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bruce fielding 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
Yes, sure. Email me bruce@atomclub.com
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Aaron Sedlacek 10:30PM (12/18/2005)
Do you know if they sell the car as a roller to the U.S. minus engine and transmission? If they do I would be very interested. Any info on getting this in the U.S. would be greatly appreciated, email me at omahawk45@cox.net
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