U.S. version of Ariel Atom using Ecotecs
In an email sent out to prospective customers, Brammo Motorsports, the manufacturer and distributor of the Ariel Atom, has revealed juicy info about the U.S. version of its doorless, screenless, roofless wonder. The company has just finished testing the Yankee Atom in Arizona at General Motors’ proving grounds with a 2.0L, 245-hp Ecotec engine. GM engineers were on hand and reportedly mighty impressed by the little car’s trip to 60 that took only 2.8 seconds.
Orders are now being taken for the 2006 Ariel Atom in the U.S. and Brammo Motorsports has even got some incentives for motivation. If you purchase a 205-hp GM Ecotec for your Atom it will be upgraded to a 230-hp Ecotec for free. Likewise order a 230-hp Ecotec and you’ll get a 245-hp version for free. Also, there’s a $750 discount on all Honda engines, as well. We didn't go through the online order configurator so we can't tell you what final prices are like, but regardless we're guessing they're less than the tax you'd pay on an Enzo.
Hurry up and get the Camry on eBay as production slots for the 2006 Ariel Atom in the U.S. are supposedly filling up quickly.
[Thanks Peter for the tip]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
J 8:19AM (12/30/2005)
Wasn't this featured on top gear with a charged civic type R motor?
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Fred 8:39AM (12/30/2005)
Starts at about $37k with a NA Ecotec, or slightly more for a 200hp Honda powerplant.
The key question is, is it road legal in the US? If it is, that's not a bad way to spend $37,000, as long as you bring your rain suit. Or live in Scottsdale.
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Christian 9:23AM (12/30/2005)
Stupid and worthless vehicle. Its a go-cart people! Get over it. It just has a car engine and racing suspension.
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Michaelarchangelo 9:24AM (12/30/2005)
Or if you just drive really, really fast.
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spdracerut 9:49AM (12/30/2005)
It's the four wheel equivilant of a motorcycle :) I'd opt for the Honda motor though as there's more aftermarket support for it.
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n8 9:58AM (12/30/2005)
A little off-topic, but wouldn't this go faster with some body panels and a roof? I'm not a huge fan of cages - if I want to go fast, I do it on two wheels. But it does seem to me that if the point is to go faster on four that a simple (light) sliding bubble top and nose-to-tail side panels would decrease the drag quite a bit.
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Dave 10:34AM (12/30/2005)
#5, if you watched the top gear segment, this car blew the doors off an R1 on a race track. The bike could not stay with it under braking or in corners. It ran the 4th fastest power lap behind cars costing 15 times as much (http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/powerlaps/). It's basically the best value out there for a track day vehicle. I'm glad we finally get to have some of the fun stuff they get over in the U.K. and I would love to get my mitts on one of these! But I'll take the Honda engine.
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mike 11:24AM (12/30/2005)
n8 ... you're completely missing the point.
No doubt it would have a faster top-end if it was a little slicker, but thats not what this car is about. This IS all about neck-snapping acceleration and cornering on rails; its the automotive equivalent of a rollercoaster.
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n8 12:08PM (12/30/2005)
Well, I don't think I'm _completely_ missing the point. I like the neck-snap as much as the next guy. If I had 50g and a lack of respect for traffic laws, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. I've just always wondered whether some simple aerodynamic enhancements might not make this a little quicker, even if detracted from the open-air experience.
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Duncan 1:34PM (12/30/2005)
Body panels would most likely decrease drag and would increase the car's top speed, but wouldn't have much of an effect on a 0-60 or quarter-mile time. FYI, they do sell clear side panels as an option. Clear, I suppose, so that it still looks cool.
Re: Honda Vs Ecotec, The Honda engines have roughly the same horsepower at similar prices (as configured), but much less torque. Even on the supercharged versions. Not sure how much torque you need on a car that weighs about 1200 lbs, but more certainly can't be worse. That said, I'd be inclined to go for the honda for the plethora of aftermarket parts.
Re: Motorcycle Vs Atom, If you figure a 200lb rider/driver, the power-weight ratio for your average liter-bike and the 300 horsepower version of the atom aren't terribly far apart.
Re: Price, it is possible to configure one of these in "race" trim on the site for over $70k. At that point you have replaced all fiberglass body panels and main tub with carbon fiber versions, put a $4k set of race wheels on it, added an absurdly large set of front and rear wings and opted-in on every possible performance-enhancing option available. $50-60k is probably a better figure (you're going to want the top engine and the bigger brakes, right?)
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Atropos 3:14PM (12/30/2005)
How is this vehicle any more "worthless" than a motorcycle?
This car is exactly what a purists sports car should be.
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josh 9:40PM (12/30/2005)
How is this vehicle any more "worthless" than a motorcycle?
hmmm very very good point... perhaps i'll bypass a bike and opt in for one of these instead...
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BewstAdd1ct 10:29PM (12/30/2005)
The 'aftermarket support' for the honda in the form of bolt-ons are for an RSX engine bay. you can get internals for the K20 just as easily for an ecotec, but the ecotec has more torque by a mile, a wider powerband and WAY more potential.
peak HP outputs the same, ill take the one with more torque, quicker to its powerband, faster and stronger than the limited K20.
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John 3:29AM (12/31/2005)
I own and drive an Atom 245 on a daily basis and one things for sure, it's certainly the most exciting 'car' I've EVER driven or ridden in! I actually positevly enjoy getting stuck in city centre traffic when others hang out their car windows to take pictures or engage you in conversation.
Take a 'click' over to http://www.atomclub.com/ and check-out what other owners are saying.
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jroc 1:42AM (1/01/2006)
I would not take that honda engine, and besides there's alot more after market for the ecotec engine, than the honda, GM does make those ecotecs in some of their race cars with 1400hp and 800hp with a turbo, solstice gxp motor with turbo has 260hp and virtually no lag, bottom line "my lug nuts require more torque than your honda makes" nuff said
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Mark 1:31PM (1/03/2006)
#7, the bike was a Honda CBR600RR, not an R1, and the rider wasn't exactly race-caliber. If they'd used a really good rider on a literbike, the race would have been much closer.
Now, for roughly $10k more you can get a Lotus Elise and not be exposed to the elements if you don't want to be. But I got to sit in an Elise last week and discovered that it's simply too small for me (at 6'4"/230, I'm wider than the seat, and my right knee gets wedged between the steering wheel and shift lever; what's more, extracting myself from the car resulted in a most undignified spectacle). I wonder if I'd have more room in the Atom.
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earlmale 9:27AM (1/12/2006)
#16, the average car enthusiast that would want an atom won't be a race caliber bike-rider, so i think your point is moot.
good point about the elise though
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