AiREL ATOM-pretty fast,don't u think?

[Akmon]

I saw some time ago Clarkson driving one(the movie),couldn't get it out of my mind.(0-100 3secs).And it got 2 the second lap on TopGear's track,only the Enzo being faster.It's pretty cheap to.A great car.But I would like seeing other opinions too. :roll: And it accelerates like a tornado!

[mv]

Isn't it called "Ariel" ? :wink: (a typo I reckon)

[GTO]

Great track car but I guess its as impractical as an enzo but a fraction of the cost.

[23790554]

isn't that an open wheeler? some track days won't let u have open wheelers

[mv]

isn't that an open wheeler? some track days won't let u have open wheelers

Yes, it is...not advisable for daily driving. :)

[mindgam3]

isn't that an open wheeler? some track days won't let u have open wheelers

All UK tracks will ;)

Great for a sunday blast just as much as a caterham, great car

[findleybeast]

I'd seriously love to see some tuners get their hands on this beast... it is powered by a Honda VTEC after all. I imagine this thing would be quite ludicrous with some tuning...

[Z28]

The Ariel Atom is a very exciting car. For the performance it is a very cheap car, but for just an engine bolted to a frame the car seems over priced. I guess the Atom is exclusive but couldn't somebody build a similar car for a lot less $$? Looks like one should expect to pay north of $50,000USD depending on the engine. It's really just a big go-kart.

[jorge]

The performance is truly amazing but the car is entirely impractical, and for me the looks are regular.
But it´s great to have cars with that kind of performance. :)

[Blip]

I really like the car. Imagine the feeling of driving one, its like an open top koenigsegg. :lol:

not to sure about safety though. btw any one know how high it is :?: Looks low enough to go under a car, :D

[Wutputt]

isn't that an open wheeler? some track days won't let u have open wheelers

All UK tracks will ;)
Most other European track days will too (the ones I've been to tho)


As for the car: I like it. It's really pure: going fast, nothing else matters. Must be a thrill to drive it.

[ferrarif1fan89]

i think they give you specialized rainsuits with the car for inclement weathere.......not that i would EVER try driving tha thing when it rains.

[Toronto]

well the only thing you would use this for is a track car.
and it isn't the fastest track car for the price, so don't know why you would get it,

that said, I love this thing and it looks amazing and sounds amazing and drives amazing!

[SFDMALEX]

I'd seriously love to see some tuners get their hands on this beast... it is powered by a Honda VTEC after all. I imagine this thing would be quite ludicrous with some tuning...

Say what?

D00de you just cant stick a small block V8 on an elise, just like you cant shove a turbo in a bms550...

Ever heard of traction? Balance?

Think man......

*shakes head in disbelief

[findleybeast]

I wasn't referring to swapping an engine in. It really doesn't take much to change the internals of an engine to produce more power. Of course getting it right isn't so easy, but that applies to tuning any car.

Even Ariel is tuning it to 275bhp from 220bhp by adding that optional supercharger. Since this is an iVTEC engine there are tons of things available to tune it too. I don't see the problem with tuning it further

[SFDMALEX]

Dude Im not even talking about increasing power by adding a supper charger. 220 is plenty enough for that chassy.....it would loose all balance and would have shitty traction unless you have a feather for your right foot.

Adding more power would mean reinforcing the chassis etc...especialy on an atom...look at it its made up of a few tubes...

Most machines of this class, are designed with everything in mind...if these guys felt like it would benifit from more power they would make more power...its already not a cheap car and its supposed to be the ultimate track weapon so they would do whatever it takes to make it the fastest.

[DeMoN]

Yep Ariel Atom is a cool thing. It would be loads of fun to drive that baby. Thats why I put it as one of my top 10 cars in the other thread.

[findleybeast]

Dude Im not even talking about increasing power by adding a supper charger. 220 is plenty enough for that chassy.....it would loose all balance and would have shitty traction unless you have a feather for your right foot.

Adding more power would mean reinforcing the chassis etc...especialy on an atom...look at it its made up of a few tubes...

Most machines of this class, are designed with everything in mind...if these guys felt like it would benifit from more power they would make more power...its already not a cheap car and its supposed to be the ultimate track weapon so they would do whatever it takes to make it the fastest.

btw the one JC tested on Top Gear was one with a supercharger and 300bhp, just fyi.

As for the chassis, I don't think it would have any problem at all putting more power down. As it was in Top Gear it didn't seem to have much wheelspin at all even off the line, and around the track it had near no oversteer. It was actually more planted and neutral than any of the other supercars, and that hints that it would be able to control more power.

And of course they take everything into consideration. They also consider price. Doing loads of tuning would up the already fairly substantial price, plus it might (MIGHT) upset their partnership with Honda as the engines would become less and less Honda.

Anyway, I'm not saying it needs any of that. It is a hell of a weapon as it is. But I'm just offering the idea of what it could be if more money was thrown into it and it put out more power. Sure it might take away some of the purity and fun of it... but damn it already has 600bhp per tonne, imagine the performance if that ratio was further increased...

[ikon2003]

^I'm down w/ findleybeast. I def would try and tune that thing some more - stateside, those vtech engines have been tuned so much, there's a huge aftermarket for that. the dark side of 400bhp is definitely possible. Traction control and some stiffening might need to be tweaked, but from the looks of the vid, it was very well sorted w/ the 300bhp.

[DMbaseball1604]

isn't that an open wheeler? some track days won't let u have open wheelers

All UK tracks will ;)

Great for a sunday blast just as much as a caterham, great car

I bet it is..Ive never been to the UK but, it would seem like you would want a closed wheel car period b/c of the weather there..I mean from what I've heard...correct me if I'm wrong :)

[mindgam3]

isn't that an open wheeler? some track days won't let u have open wheelers

All UK tracks will ;)

Great for a sunday blast just as much as a caterham, great car

I bet it is..Ive never been to the UK but, it would seem like you would want a closed wheel car period b/c of the weather there..I mean from what I've heard...correct me if I'm wrong :)

sorry but I think you are wrong ;)

Considering the atom, caterham, westfield etc etc and most other open wheel, light weight cars are made in the UK.... many use them on track but more use them as their second car for on the road blasts at the weekend

Just because it isn't sunny all the time, doesen't mean the caterhams and atoms arent out there up and down the country roads ;)

[SPEEDCORE]

Id prefer a Radical SR3Turbo over an Atom. Great for a weekend/track car, but impractical for everyday use. Great performance wise/cost.... But if I could afford a Supercar, id buy a Supercar :wink:

[mike_sayer]

findleybeast is right, the one on TG was the 300hp supercharged version and it looked fantastically balanced - the chassis was handling the power beautifully. JC made a good point - he liked being able to see all the components working, like the suspension, and i agree that it was pretty cool.

If i had 35 grand to spare, i'd have one without blinking.