Ariel Atom – exotic superbike
High-performance open-top roadster Ariel Atom (PDF manuals is here) produced by Ariel Motor in Somerset, England. It is built on an exoskeleton frame and has such a small body that it is difficult to agree with the theme of a light sports car. Although the total production is only about 100 cars per year, the company’s success is maintained by the exclusivity and preservation of the residual value at an impressively high level.
Ariel Atom
Ariel Atom is an exoskeleton car with an absolutely visible chassis made of tubular steel, a black nose fairing, engine cover and black glossy wings. When it comes to Atom design, the function is dominant here. No other serial car exhibits its crude engineering so obviously parading. It completely lacks a roof, windows or curved outlines of the body. Even the windshield is supplied as an extra feature, creating the illusion of riding a bicycle with a naked body. The body paneling is created by non-structural multi-layer panels woven from a mixture of canvas and chopped strands of fiberglass. The idea was to reduce the weight to a minimum. The basic Atom 3 weighs only 612 kg, extends to 3410 mm in length, with open wheels about 1800 mm wide and 1195 mm high. The length of the wheelbase is 2345 mm. Atom flaunts the inside suspension with aluminum cranked levers and a ventilated braking system that makes driving quite comfortable, even when the driver is exhausted. The suspension is fully adjustable and can accept deflections of any kind of deviation.
While driving Atom, you can observe each step of the front two wheels. The relative width of the Atom facilitates the installation of a one-piece seat with forward and backward adjustment. In it, besides the driver, you can put one more person. The pedals and the steering wheel are fixed. The steering wheel rests on the LCD screen coming from the race, which shows the speed, speed and temperature and is surrounded by all the necessary switches. For safety reasons, the bucket seat is equipped with 6-point racing-class safety belts.
Today, the rear-wheel drive car with mid-engine layout is available in two versions – Atom 3 and Atom 500. The base model Atom 3 comes with 2 engine options. The first is a 2.0L Honda K20A1 with 4 cylinders, a fully aluminum block and a turbocharger with variable geometry. Another option is the 2L supercharged or 2.2L (2.4L) 4-cylinder Ecotec from GM. With a Honda compartment, you can get a peak power of 245 liters. from. at 8200 rpm. The GM engine produces a maximum output of 300 hp. at the same rpm. Peak torque is an impressive 210 Nm at 6100 rpm. Transmission – either from Honda, or from GM with 6 steps and reverse, in both cases with an aluminum casing. Ariel Atom 500 comes with a monstrous (in performance) V8 from John Hartley weighing about 90 kg, offering a peak power of 500 liters. from. and a torque of 401 Nm with revolutions per minute 9200 in the first case and 6100 in the second. The basic Atom can accelerate to 100 km / h in as little as 2.7 seconds. The maximum speed can reach 250 km / h.
The starting price of the Ariel Atom offered by the manufacturer is $ 50,000 with a basic engine, brakes, steering and a 6-speed reverse gearbox. From here you can upgrade the engine, brakes and suspension. To them, you can add a detachable steering wheel with magnesium alloy wheels. For the color of the body panels, different from silver or black, you have to pay extra, as well as for the windshield. As for the beast-like special Atom 500, it will be built on a UK site with a much larger price tag – $ 200,000.
