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Video: Autocar reviews the Ariel Atom V8

Jeff Glucker — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 20:02:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Videos, UK, Specialty, Racing

Autocar drives the Ariel Atom V8 - Click above to watch video after the jump

Ariel finally put together its long-awaited Atom V8 and handed to the keys to ~~some lucky sonofa~~ Autocar to take the eight-pot pocket rocket out for a spin. Matt Prior got some seat time in the light-weight sportscar and provides great insight into this new Atom. Phrases from Prior include; "fastest production car anyone has ever driven," "utterly brilliant" and "TEE HEE HEE."

There are a lot of stats to wrap your head around, but this one seems to sum up it up best: The V8 Atom produces 900 horsepower per ton. By comparison, the Bugatti Veyron produces around 530 horsepower per ton. There's more, but why spoil it when you can hop the jump and watch Prior's jealousy-inducing spin.

[Source: Youtube]

Continue reading Video: Autocar reviews the Ariel Atom V8

Video: Autocar reviews the Ariel Atom V8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ariel Atom celebrates 10 years, shows off Atom 500 V8 to lucky few

Jeff Glucker — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, UK, Specialty

The Ariel Atom is a lightweight, high-performance sports car which started life as a design project by then-student Nik Smart. Ten years later, the Atom has progressed through three iterations, and there are plans to expand the Atom family with the creation of a motorcycle and the upcoming Ariel Atom 500 V8. The bike is still being developed, but some lucky Atom owners got a sneak peek at the V8-powered variant.

To celebrate their 10th anniversary, Ariel invited owners from around the globe to converge on their Crewkerne, Somerset headquarters. Forty-five Atoms gathered in the parking lot while owners were treated to food and drinks inside. Thanks to John Scherrer of the AtomClub.com forums, we're able to get a feel for the festivities, the highlight of which was the unveiling of a completed Ariel Atom 500 V8. But this particular Atom wasn't put together days or weeks before the event - four Ariel employees started with a bare chassis at 10:15 AM and by 3:30 PM, they had a fully built Atom 500 V8, complete with fluids and an alignment. Impressive.

Initial reports stated that the Atom 500 would feature a 2.4-liter supercharged V8. However, the car is instead being fitted with a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter unit. The current Atom 3 is capable of sub-three-second 0-60 times and will hit 100 miles per hour in less than seven seconds, so it's safe to imagine that the Atom 500 V8 will be the first road-going car to reach Ludicrous Speed. Thanks for the tip, Eric!

[Source: AtomClub.com]

Ariel Atom celebrates 10 years, shows off Atom 500 V8 to lucky few originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Atom Smasher: UK-bound Ariel V8 to command $200,000?

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:32:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Performance, Europe, Specialty

Ariel Atom - click above image for hi-res gallery

Two hundred thousand bucks is a house in most places. Well, that's £120,000 to our British friends. Still, that's an awful lot of scratch. How much is it compared to other cars? If say you wanted a Porsche Cayman S -- a car many consider the finest sports car in the world -- the mini-Porker costs just £44,000. How about an Aston Martin V8 Vantage -- which many consider to be the best sounding sports car in the world? A mere £83,000, or £91,000 if you want the drop top so as to better hear the wikkid engine.

Okay, but what about a serious performer -- like a 550 hp Porsche Panamera Turbo? Just £95,000. Or a 525 hp Audi R8 V10? "Only" £100,000. Even a Porche Turbo Cabriolet is priced to sell at £110,000. No, if you want a vehicle that costs as much as the roofless, doorless, bodyless Ariel Atom V8 is going to cost in Great Britain you're going to probably be cross shopping it with... a Caterham Se7en RST-V8 Levante that also has a V8 but lacks doors and retails for about £120,000 pounds sterling. Ironic, no? Sure, there are always more expensive cars (hello Lambo, Ferrari) but at this lofty price point not too many.

Is it worth that much cash? Very hard to say, as the craziest ever Atom (which is saying something) is as track-only as it gets. For instance, even the manic Se7en RST-V8 Levante has something resembling a windshield. On the pro side, Ariel will only be shipping 25 cars to the UK (19 of which have already sold) and the V8 engine is actually two Hayabusa motors joined to a common crank. With that in mind, the Atom V8 can hit 60 mph in a Veyron like 2.5 seconds. So... yes, totally worth the money.

Gallery: Ariel Atom

[Source: AutoCar]

Atom Smasher: UK-bound Ariel V8 to command $200,000? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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V8-powered Ariel Atom 500 could cost at least $160k

Noah Joseph — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:58:00 EST

Ariel Atom 500 V8 - Click above for a high-res image gallery

Even with the stock 300-horsepower Honda four, the Ariel Atom is a verifiable supercar-slayer. So when the British track-car manufacturer announced they'd be building a bonkers 500hp V8 version, our interests were piqued, to say the least. But if you were expecting a bargain, think again. The latest reports, quoting Ariel's CEO Simon Saunders, indicate that the V8-powered Atom 500 will cost a very supercar-like £100,000, or about $160k in American greenbacks. At least.

That's about three times the price of the four-cylinder Atom 300. So why the huge price increase? Well, for starters, earlier reports that the Atom 500 would use the RS Performance-sourced 2.4-liter 10,000 rpm V8 from the Caterham Levante have proven inaccurate, as Ariel will be producing its own custom engine. Based on two Suzuki Hayabusa blocks but with a high proportion of custom parts, the engine alone is said to account for about £30,000 (~$50k); add to that another £11,000 ($17k) for the custom six-speed gearbox, plus the Alcon brakes and various carbon-fiber body parts and the figures start to add up pretty quick.

Gallery: Ariel Atom 500 V8

[Source: Autocar]

V8-powered Ariel Atom 500 could cost at least $160k originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More details on the 500-hp Ariel Atom 500 V8

Damon Lavrinc — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:28:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Supercars

Ariel Atom 500 V8 - Click either image for a high-res image gallery

When it comes to power and lightweight, enough is never enough. And so, Ariel (finally) gives us the Atom 500 V8, an 1,102-pound roadster boasting the highest power-to-weight ratio (1,000 hp-per-ton) of any production car to date. How does Ariel do it? It starts with the engine and gets more insane from there.

The heart of the Atom 500 is a Russell Savory (RS Developments) 2.4-liter V8 equipped with five valves per cylinder, a dry sump and ~~a supercharger~~ (no supercharger in the U.S.) 500 hp is available at a screaming 10,000 rpm, with power being delivered to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential Sadev gearbox.

At each corner, Alcon four-pot brakes are nestled within Dymag magnesium wheels, with carbon fiber used liberally on the wheel arches, underbody tray, rear wing and formula-style front aerofoil.

All told, the Ariel Atom 500 V8 will hit 60 in under three seconds, blow past 100 mph in less than seven seconds and can be yours for... no word yet, but expect pricing to be released shortly. Hat tip to James!

Gallery: Ariel Atom 500 V8

[Source: Ariel]

More details on the 500-hp Ariel Atom 500 V8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 May 2009 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Blood: Ariel Atom 500 V8

Noah Joseph — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Supercars, UK

Oh Dear Lord. That's all that comes to mind when looking at the images that have just surfaced of the new Ariel Atom 500. But maybe that's not the right expression, because this is not the car you'll be driving to church. We can think of other Sunday uses for it, though, ones that will probably have you praying for your life faster and louder than any preacher's sermon.

In fact, the V8-powered Ariel Atom 500 will probably have you doing a lot of things faster and louder than anyone or anything before. Even these details and the photo you see above arrived quicker than we expected after our initial report. Its specs, as well as its styling, would be right at home in a Formula One pit lane: a 2.4-liter V8 with 5-valve cylinder-heads and a supercharger producing over 200 horsepower per liter (!) in a package that weighs in at less than one ton (!!). That means (quick calculation...carry the two) over 1000 hp per ton, nearly twice that of the Bugatti Veyron. To keep it all cooled, earth-bound and visually obscene, the new image released of the Atom 500 reveals a pair of new intakes to feed the intercoolers and some big, race-spec carbon fiber wings. Ariel will be building the beast alongside the Honda-powered versions (which by comparison now seem like go-karts) at its new factory in Somerset, England, from which the first vehicles will be delivered within a couple of months from now, by which time Ariel might let us know how much the bonkers Atom 500 will cost. Our bank managers (and life insurance agents) are standing by.

[Source: PistonHeads]

First Blood: Ariel Atom 500 V8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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