Ariel ATOM - Faster than a Porsche Carrera GT

EVO6 · 23rd May 2005, 00:40

Well I am not sure whether this machine has been discussed in this forum but I thought that i should put in a detailed review about a car that gives a Ferrari Enzo a run for its money....

I am talking about the Atom 2 from Ariel Motor Co. UK.
All they have done is used the best four cylinder engine (Yes I am talking about the iVTEC which is so famous here on Team-BHP) and teamed it up with race car components and made a car thats so phenominally fast that Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear has this to say...

'The Atom is fast on an entirely new level. I have never, ever driven anything that accelerates so fast.'

'Over the years I've flown F15 fighters, done power slides in airboats, straffed the desert from helicopter gunships, but for sheer excitement this thing is off the scale.'

Minimal bodywork, moulded to the highest standard possible, consisting of separate composite panels reduces weight, and minimises cost. This was developed in a wind tunnel to generate front and rear downforce, with special attention given to the underbody air flows, very similar to a F1 car.

The Atom is designed to sit 2 adults in safety, confortable solving the space problems usually found in vehicles of this class.

Even in 160bhp form the Atom's power to weight ratio exceeds that of a 911 Porsche

Atom 2 power is from a new 2.0 Honda iVTEC engine now regarded as the best 4 cylinder production engine in the world. Featured in the Honda Civic and Civic Type R. With the performance emphasis of the Atom geared towards accelaration and handling, the power to weight ratio exceeds that of most supercars giving phenomenal performance and track times comparable with pure race cars.

Hope Everyone Enjoys this Thread !!!!
Regards,
EVO VI

Reference: www.arielmotor.co.uk, Top Gear

[b]

Mpower · 23rd May 2005, 00:46

Niiiice. Looks better than a Caterham for sure. But Caterham also have an R500 or something like that .......just crazy fast and stripped to the bone.

lamborghini · 23rd May 2005, 01:08

Planning on building an Indian Atom with Khanak in the next year or so.
Let us see.
Oh and the Honda Engine produces 220BHP and i think it does a 0-100 in 2.9s.
The car looks wild.
Oh and you guys should see JCs face while he was driving it.
Man will be really scary and illegal to drive on Bombay roads.
Maybe in the Powai Drags.
EDIT - don't the alloys look like the AURA ones?

EVO6 · 23rd May 2005, 01:14

Hey Lambo,
Keep me updated if you end up building an indian version...
But I am seriously considering bringing this vehicle to India...
Only the bad roads and traffic makes me speculate...
And then the scorching heat and polution ...

lamborghini · 23rd May 2005, 01:20

You forgot to add, the cops, buses going over you, your head becoming red and white with crow **** and spit.
If we do build it, it will not be as fast, will have a plastic windscreen to deflect wind but will look the same.
Maybe a bit smaller but with 40 - 100 BHP engine.
But will it be legal?

EVO6 · 23rd May 2005, 01:30

The Ariel atom can be registered and is street legal .. As its cost is above $40000 there will be no homologation required ...
For your car I can ask my friends who have built bikes or cars from spares if it will be legal to have such cars ... and whether they can be registered

lamborghini · 23rd May 2005, 01:33

Thanks Evo,
Was asking cause if we build it how the hell do we drive it around?
Anyways, if you do get one, remember to get used to the G forces.
One question,
How do they keep it grounded?

revtech · 23rd May 2005, 01:44

hey dude
nice stuff you got there man.lambo it will be cool if you end up soing it.
keep us updated and let us know what happens.

Rev

lamborghini · 23rd May 2005, 01:48

Check this pic out.
Got it from Khanak and that is the only reason i want a windscreen.
Or a good helmet.

ajmat · 23rd May 2005, 08:58

Well, this months car - tests the Ariel Atom 300 - the same engine - supercharges. It literally smokes out the M6 and Carrera S - 0.100km in 3.4 seconds.

The testers call the acceleration "distressing"

Mpower · 23rd May 2005, 09:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamborghini

You forgot to add, the cops, buses going over you, your head becoming red and white with crow **** and spit

C'mon man...it aint all that bad. What about the millions of our aam janta that ride 2 wheelers. Can't be worse than that. Besides you wanna take this type of car only on a cool summer night.

islero · 23rd May 2005, 13:18

imagine this,

an empty beach road in florida. fat american business man rolls up in his 360 spider at the lights. alongside comes an Ariel atom with the full spec Honda engine.
american fatcat- " what're you doin in that stupid go kart?"
The lights go green, and the rest is history..........

lamborghini · 23rd May 2005, 13:35

On a Cool Summer night?
Mpower,
when the hell is summer cool out here?
Hey islero,
i would love to smoke the Murci.
But first we need to build it and see if it is possible to keep it grounded.
It should ideally weigh 500KGS max with 2 Pass.

Harrie · 23rd May 2005, 13:52

Hey Lambo, It is possible to produce a car like tha atom. But the following are some of the problems you might face.

1. Chassis design and fabrication facility - Has to be light and at the same time rigid. I am guessing you'll be using a space frame. This is going to be pretty tricky as the tolerances are less. Even a minor fault can cause serious problems with the suspension.

2. Ride height - It has to be low enough to retain the sporty looks and high enough to ride the speed breakers. Also the stock engine's oil pans mught prevent the car from going low. Anand of jeyam automotives had to change the whole setup to get the engine lower in the TATA openseater he built.

3. Suspension - The whole setup might have to be fabricated using bits and pieces from existing vehicles. Could be pretty costly unless you have access to proper machine tools.

4. Most importantly you need to have enough cash on hand.

I have been worjing on a catterham look alike for the past 3 years. Technical problems and more importantly financial constraints are the main reasons why its getting delayed so much

Hope to put the car on road some time by the end of this year. BTW i chose the catterham because the body work is easier. Saves a lot on tinkering bills. But the ATOM is even better

Good luck dude.

jesal · 23rd May 2005, 14:45

i like this car for sure its fun, but i would prefer a lotus elise. its more practical i guess. whats the price for the lotus. i bet used ones should be a good steal eh ?

23rd May 2005, 00:40	#1
EVO6 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 488 Thanked: 13 Times	Ariel ATOM - Faster than a Porsche Carrera GT Well I am not sure whether this machine has been discussed in this forum but I thought that i should put in a detailed review about a car that gives a Ferrari Enzo a run for its money.... I am talking about the Atom 2 from Ariel Motor Co. UK. All they have done is used the best four cylinder engine (Yes I am talking about the iVTEC which is so famous here on Team-BHP) and teamed it up with race car components and made a car thats so phenominally fast that Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear has this to say... 'The Atom is fast on an entirely new level. I have never, ever driven anything that accelerates so fast.' 'Over the years I've flown F15 fighters, done power slides in airboats, straffed the desert from helicopter gunships, but for sheer excitement this thing is off the scale.' Minimal bodywork, moulded to the highest standard possible, consisting of separate composite panels reduces weight, and minimises cost. This was developed in a wind tunnel to generate front and rear downforce, with special attention given to the underbody air flows, very similar to a F1 car. The Atom is designed to sit 2 adults in safety, confortable solving the space problems usually found in vehicles of this class. Even in 160bhp form the Atom's power to weight ratio exceeds that of a 911 Porsche Atom 2 power is from a new 2.0 Honda iVTEC engine now regarded as the best 4 cylinder production engine in the world. Featured in the Honda Civic and Civic Type R. With the performance emphasis of the Atom geared towards accelaration and handling, the power to weight ratio exceeds that of most supercars giving phenomenal performance and track times comparable with pure race cars. Hope Everyone Enjoys this Thread !!!! Regards, EVO VI Reference: www.arielmotor.co.uk, Top Gear [b] Last edited by EVO6 : 23rd May 2005 at 00:57.
	() Thanks

23rd May 2005, 00:46	#2
Mpower Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10,399 Thanked: 1,735 Times View My Garage	Niiiice. Looks better than a Caterham for sure. But Caterham also have an R500 or something like that .......just crazy fast and stripped to the bone.
	() Thanks

23rd May 2005, 01:08	#3
lamborghini Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,165 Thanked: 5,935 Times View My Garage	Planning on building an Indian Atom with Khanak in the next year or so. Let us see. Oh and the Honda Engine produces 220BHP and i think it does a 0-100 in 2.9s. The car looks wild. Oh and you guys should see JCs face while he was driving it. Man will be really scary and illegal to drive on Bombay roads. Maybe in the Powai Drags. EDIT - don't the alloys look like the AURA ones? Last edited by lamborghini : 23rd May 2005 at 01:11.
	() Thanks

23rd May 2005, 01:14	#4
EVO6 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 488 Thanked: 13 Times	Hey Lambo, Keep me updated if you end up building an indian version... But I am seriously considering bringing this vehicle to India... Only the bad roads and traffic makes me speculate... And then the scorching heat and polution ...
	() Thanks

23rd May 2005, 01:20	#5
lamborghini Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,165 Thanked: 5,935 Times View My Garage	You forgot to add, the cops, buses going over you, your head becoming red and white with crow **** and spit. If we do build it, it will not be as fast, will have a plastic windscreen to deflect wind but will look the same. Maybe a bit smaller but with 40 - 100 BHP engine. But will it be legal?
	() Thanks

23rd May 2005, 01:30	#6
EVO6 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 488 Thanked: 13 Times	The Ariel atom can be registered and is street legal .. As its cost is above $40000 there will be no homologation required ... For your car I can ask my friends who have built bikes or cars from spares if it will be legal to have such cars ... and whether they can be registered Last edited by EVO6 : 23rd May 2005 at 01:32.
	() Thanks

23rd May 2005, 01:33	#7
lamborghini Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,165 Thanked: 5,935 Times View My Garage	Thanks Evo, Was asking cause if we build it how the hell do we drive it around? Anyways, if you do get one, remember to get used to the G forces. One question, How do they keep it grounded?
	() Thanks

23rd May 2005, 01:44	#8
revtech Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,992 Thanked: 39 Times View My Garage	hey dude nice stuff you got there man.lambo it will be cool if you end up soing it. keep us updated and let us know what happens. Rev
	() Thanks

23rd May 2005, 01:48	#9
lamborghini Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,165 Thanked: 5,935 Times View My Garage	Check this pic out. Got it from Khanak and that is the only reason i want a windscreen. Or a good helmet.
	() Thanks

23rd May 2005, 08:58	#10
ajmat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 15,178 Thanked: 31,078 Times View My Garage	Well, this months car - tests the Ariel Atom 300 - the same engine - supercharges. It literally smokes out the M6 and Carrera S - 0.100km in 3.4 seconds. The testers call the acceleration "distressing"
	() Thanks

23rd May 2005, 13:18	#12
islero Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,574 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	imagine this, an empty beach road in florida. fat american business man rolls up in his 360 spider at the lights. alongside comes an Ariel atom with the full spec Honda engine. american fatcat- " what're you doin in that stupid go kart?" The lights go green, and the rest is history..........
	() Thanks

23rd May 2005, 13:35	#13
lamborghini Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,165 Thanked: 5,935 Times View My Garage	On a Cool Summer night? Mpower, when the hell is summer cool out here? Hey islero, i would love to smoke the Murci. But first we need to build it and see if it is possible to keep it grounded. It should ideally weigh 500KGS max with 2 Pass.
	() Thanks

23rd May 2005, 13:52	#14
Harrie BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: KA 03, KL 12, TN 38 Posts: 701 Thanked: 36 Times View My Garage	Hey Lambo, It is possible to produce a car like tha atom. But the following are some of the problems you might face. 1. Chassis design and fabrication facility - Has to be light and at the same time rigid. I am guessing you'll be using a space frame. This is going to be pretty tricky as the tolerances are less. Even a minor fault can cause serious problems with the suspension. 2. Ride height - It has to be low enough to retain the sporty looks and high enough to ride the speed breakers. Also the stock engine's oil pans mught prevent the car from going low. Anand of jeyam automotives had to change the whole setup to get the engine lower in the TATA openseater he built. 3. Suspension - The whole setup might have to be fabricated using bits and pieces from existing vehicles. Could be pretty costly unless you have access to proper machine tools. 4. Most importantly you need to have enough cash on hand. I have been worjing on a catterham look alike for the past 3 years. Technical problems and more importantly financial constraints are the main reasons why its getting delayed so much Hope to put the car on road some time by the end of this year. BTW i chose the catterham because the body work is easier. Saves a lot on tinkering bills. But the ATOM is even better Good luck dude.
	() Thanks

23rd May 2005, 14:45	#15
jesal BANNED Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 2,323 Thanked: 17 Times View My Garage	i like this car for sure its fun, but i would prefer a lotus elise. its more practical i guess. whats the price for the lotus. i bet used ones should be a good steal eh ?
	() Thanks