Aarons Fav Cars - Ariel Atom 1996 - Ariel Atom 1.

The Ariel Atom is a high performance sports car made by the Ariel Motor Company based in Somerset, England and under licence in North America by TMI Autotech, Inc. at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

There have been four Ariel Atom incarnations to date: Ariel Atom, Ariel Atom 2, Ariel Atom 3 and Ariel Atom 500 V8. The current model is the Ariel Atom 3 which is the most powerful apart from the V8 model. The latter is a limited production model with a 500 bhp (373 kW; 507 PS) V8 engine made from two Suzuki Hayabusa engines.

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 although a small windshield is available as an optional extra.

Specifications

0–60 mph (0–97 km/h): 2.8 seconds (manufacturer's claim)
Top speed: 155 mph, 250 km/h
Power: 245 bhp (183 kW; 248 PS) @ 8200 rpm (300 bhp supercharged)
Torque: 210 N·m (150 ft·lbf) @ 6100 rpm
Weight: 612 kg (1350 lb)
Transmission: Honda six-speed with reverse or General Motors six speed with reverse
Price: £30,000/£45,000 supercharged (cost in the US is $39,203.12 base price)
Engine: 2.0L Honda K20A1, 4 cylinder, i-VTEC or 2.0L supercharged, or General Motors 2.2L supercharged or 2.4L Ecotec 4 cylinder
Manufacturer: Ariel Motor Company Ltd
Length: 3,410 mm (134 in)
Width: 1,798 mm (70.8 in) / 1,828 mm (72.0 in) with 225 Tyres
Height: 1,195 mm (47.0 in)
Track: 1,600 mm (63 in) front and rear
Wheelbase: 2,345 mm (92.3 in)
Designer: Nik Smart


In 2005 Track and Race Car magazine published the results of a comprehensive test of a range of cars, from the Porsche 911 Carrera S, Ford GT, BMW M5 to the Caterham CSR 260. The Supercharged Ariel Atom 1 won the 0–100–0 mph (0–161–0 km/h) test by a clear margin at 10.88 seconds, ahead of the Caterham CSR 260 (11.41) and the Ford GT in 4th (13.17).

The following year, the Atom won Autocar's 0–100 mph challenge as the new Ariel Atom 2 300 bhp supercharged edition achieved a time of 6.86 seconds, and then stopped from 100 in 3.8 seconds. At the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, the Atom broke the indoor speed record. The high gloss floor that the cars ran on was only 220 m (720 ft) long, with an open door at the end of the hall. The driver of the Atom launched in fourth gear and still had wheelspin until the car reached 70 mph (110 km/h) and started to get traction. The Atom was beaten only by a Class 9 Autograss car powered by a 2.0l Lexus/Toyota touring car engine which set the official indoor speed record, beating the previous record held by a Toyota F1 car driven by Top Gear's driver The Stig.

The Sunday Times measured the time taken for the Atom to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) at 2.89 seconds, making it the world's third fastest accelerating production car then available after the $1.3 million, 1,001 PS (987 bhp) Bugatti Veyron at 2.46 seconds, and the Ultima GTR at 2.6 seconds; the review was in 2005.