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It shot into fame through the TV screen when BBC’s Jeremy Clarkson tested it in the program Top Gear for the Discovery Channel. There it was, eating up the miles and holding its own against other sports cars.
The most memorable shot perhaps was the way the speed affected Clarkson’s face as there isn’t any real protection from the wind in the open cockpit. From there to being featured in racing car video games was but a short step!
The Ariel Atom will be manufactured in the U.S. with Oregon’s Brammo Motorsports having signed a deal with U.K.’s Ariel Limited. In the U.S., the car will have an Ecotec engine, a supercharged number from GM.
The Ariel Atom picture courtesy of Ariel Motor Company
Has the car got the look? It certainly has. At least, it’s unusual because the chassis of the car is the body. So the car does not have windows or a roof and is quite unlike any of the cars on the road. It has a wide, low shape, with a nose cone and the engine behind the driver. Its engineering was inspired by Formula One racing cars. In fact it even looks like one.
It really is a sports car and though it may not be able to reach the incredible speeds that a lot of sports cars can, it still can eat up the miles on the road far easier and quicker than regular cars. Its acceleration is incredible and it has very good control over corners during turns. It’s a small car and maybe everything about it is minimalistic. It’s only got the bare necessities but that is all you need in this car.
Once you feel its horsepower come to life beneath you, you forget about all the things it does not have and concentrate on what it does. It just takes 2.9 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 but you’ll need to be lightning-fast with those gear changes. It can reach top speeds of approximately 140-150 mph
The suspension is that of a superior racing car and the experience as one presenter puts it, is ‘driving nirvana’.
Since the Ariel is sold as a track car you must buy it as a ‘kit’ car and assemble it yourself. If you buy it already assembled, you would not be able to drive it on the highway as it would be considered a race car. So you’ll have to experience its power at the local racetrack. The price for an Ariel Atom ranges from about $35,000 to $75,000.
The car is really lightweight at about 1200 pounds and its engine, a supercharged 2.0 Litre 300hp, throbs into life when you step on the accelerator. It’s such an easy car to drive and can be maintained rather easily as it doesn’t need too many professional mechanics to keep it going. It’s economical too.
The look, the feel of the car when you’re behind the wheel, the performance, all adds up to making it a super car – whether it’s on the road or the track. It’s simple, like its name – Atom. It’s proved that it can be as powerful too