2006 Ariel Atom 450The Ariel Atom is a high performance sports car made by the Ariel Motor Company based in Somerset, England. The car is also manufactured under license in the United States, originally by Brammo Motorsports, currently by TMI AutoTech Inc.
There have been three Ariel Atom incarnations to date: Ariel Atom, Ariel Atom 2 and Ariel Atom 3. The current model is the Ariel Atom 3 which is also the most powerful of the three. Ariel has also announced an RS Performance model with a motorcycle-derived 500 bhp (373 kW; 507 PS) V8 engine.[1]
The Ariel Atom is unusual in that it is exoskeletal — the chassis is prominently visible from the outside — and therefore lacks a roof, windows and other features normally found on road cars. It is available with a range of engines, the top of the range being a supercharged Honda Civic Type-R K20 and a supercharged 2.0 litre, 300 hp (220 kW) GM Ecotec engine. With each of these engines it can achieve acceleration rivaling that of much more expensive automobiles. Although the top speed of approximately 140 mph (230 km/h)-150 mph (240 km/h) is relatively tame compared to more exotic sports cars, the high power-to-weight ratio (approximately 500 bhp/ton, or 650 bhp/ton supercharged) affords it very fast acceleration and the low weight provides excellent control through corners.
The Ariel Atom was also used (unofficially) by Wrightspeed Inc. as a base vehicle to prototype the electric running gear for an entirely new production vehicle which Wrightspeed is raising funds to build. The Atom-based prototype, called the X1, also has incredible acceleration, reaching 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3 seconds.
Building an Ariel Atom
Dennis Palatov really likes the Hayabusa V8, of course, it's hard not to. Dennis, though, has the experience of building the DP1, a carbon fiber bodied track day car with a Hartley Enterprises Hayabusa V8 for power. Being the kind of guy he is, one is never enough so the next thing you know, Dennis takes delivery of an Ariel Atom, the minimal, tube framed open wheel roadster and found the grin factor pretty high, but after looking at the engine compartment he started wondering if it "shoulda had a V8." Tape measure in hand and SolidWorks on the computer and next thing you know, the 4 cylinder engine is gone and the V8 is installed.
Of course, it's a bit more involved than that and Dennis has the complete build story on his web site but he sent a note to let me know the Ariel Atom has been driven under power for the first time. The little V8 fits in there like it was designed for it. The engine is about the same size as many 4 cylinder engines but weighs only 200 pounds. Specs for the engine from the Hartley web site are 2.8 Liters (170 cu. in.), 4 cams, 32 valves, 400HP @ 10,000 rpm with stock street cams and 245 ft-lbs torque @ 7500 rpm. Weight of the Ariel Atom, 1200 pounds which yields expected sub 3 second 0-60 and top speed of 160 mph+. Yes, that should be fun.
Ariel Atom Photo
Ariel Atom image
Ariel Atom
Ariel Atom
Ariel Atom
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