Ariel Atom
Encyclopedia
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 also the most powerful of the three. The Atom 500 V8 is a limited production model with a John Hartley designed 500 bhp V8 engine
.
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.
transport design student, Nik Smart. Known then as the LSC (Lightweight Sports Car), it was developed at the university in 1996 with input and funding from various automotive industry members, including British Steel
and TWR
. Ariel Motor Company boss Simon Saunders was a senior lecturer whose responsibility for the project was primarily as financial manager and design critic for Smart, whom he described as "The best all-round design student I've ever seen." The car was first shown publicly at the British International Motor Show
at the NEC
in Birmingham
in October 1996.
The Atom suspension setup was tuned by the engineers at Lotus. Edmunds "Inside Line"
noted that "anyone who has driven a selection of Lotus-tuned cars, such as the Elise, the Aston Martin Vanquish and the Opel Speedster, will notice a common feel or signature, and it's replicated in the Atom."
The Atom’s suspension is derived from single seat racing cars and is fully adjustable, requiring only a spanner
. Both front and rear double unequal length wishbones and inboard, pushrod-operated dampers contribute to the Atom’s dynamic racecar-like handling. Adjustable suspension rod ends feature inboard rubber/metal bushings to promote a more comfortable road-going ride. The front and rear Bilstein dampers are also adjustable. Stacked light and heavy coil springs produce a low spring rate for minor deflections and a higher rate for large ones.
, Ford GT
, BMW M5
to the Caterham CSR 260. The Supercharged Ariel Atom 1 won the 0-100-0 mph test by a clear margin, reaching 100 mi/h and then stopping in 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.
Also, the Ariel Atom is the fastest indoor road car. During 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 metres 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 mi/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 Gears The Stig
.
The British newspaper The Sunday Times
measured the time taken from 0 to 60 mi/h at 2.89 seconds, making it the world's third fastest accelerating production car then available after the $1.3 million, 1001 PS Bugatti Veyron
which reaches 0 to 60 mi/h in 2.46 seconds, and the Ultima GTR
, which reaches 60 mi/h in 2.6 seconds; the review was in 2005.
of Ashland, Oregon
signed a deal with Ariel Ltd to manufacture the Atom in the US starting in late 2005. In the US the Atom 2 was available with the supercharged GM Ecotec engine, which was introduced in 2004 on the Saturn ION Red Line and is also used in the Chevrolet Cobalt SS
. A limited run of approximately 10 US built Atom 2 cars, manufactured in 2006-2007, were powered by imported Honda K20As. Brammo Motorsports ceased production of the Atom in 2008 to focus on the manufacture of an electric motorcycle.
In January 2008 it was officially announced that licensed manufacturing of the Ariel Atom for the US market would be undertaken by TMI AutoTech Inc at a purpose built facility at Virginia International Raceway
. TMI started their production by building Atom 3 cars which are Honda powered. TMI AutoTech Inc is also associated with Trak Motorsports Inc, the company that operate the Ariel Atom Experience trackdays in Canada
and North America
.
Ariel claims this variant will accelerate from 0-60 mph in "less than 2.3 seconds".
Ariel will produce just 25 this year, prices are expected to be at least $160,000
On 23rd January 2011, the Atom 500 set the lap record around the Top Gear test track
, with a time of 1:15.1, making it the fastest road-legal car to go around the track.
, which is a proof of concept of the company's all-electric powertrain.
Ariel Ltd
Ariel Motors Ltd is a Crewkerne, Somerset, England based low-volume performance motor vehicle manufacturing company.Founded by Simon Saunders in 1991 as Solocrest Ltd, the name was changed in 2001 to Ariel Motors, although the name change and company have nothing to do with the former Ariel...
based in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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 also the most powerful of the three. The Atom 500 V8 is a limited production model with a John Hartley designed 500 bhp V8 engine
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
.
The Ariel Atom is unusual in that it is exoskeletal
Exoskeleton car
An Exoskeleton car has a visible external frame, being made of steel or carbon fiber tubes. The simplistic construction of the vehicle follows Colin Chapman's philosophy of maximising the power-to-weight ratio by minimising weight rather than simply adding power...
— the chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
is prominently visible from the outside — and therefore lacks a roof, windows and other features normally found on road cars.
Design origins
The Atom began as a student project by Coventry UniversityCoventry University
Coventry University is a post-1992 university in Coventry, West Midlands, England. Under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992, the institution's name was changed from Coventry Polytechnic to Coventry University...
transport design student, Nik Smart. Known then as the LSC (Lightweight Sports Car), it was developed at the university in 1996 with input and funding from various automotive industry members, including British Steel
British Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
and TWR
Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing , was an auto racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976 by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw.-History:TWR started by modifying BMW 3.0 CSLs, but soon was contracted to head Mazda's works program in the British Touring Car Championship. The TWR developed RX-7, with Win...
. Ariel Motor Company boss Simon Saunders was a senior lecturer whose responsibility for the project was primarily as financial manager and design critic for Smart, whom he described as "The best all-round design student I've ever seen." The car was first shown publicly at the British International Motor Show
British International Motor Show
The British International Motor Show is an automobile show held biennially in the United Kingdom. It is recognised as an international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles. The 2008 was the last event with no news of a return of the British International Motor Show...
at the NEC
National Exhibition Centre
The National Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres making it the...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
in October 1996.
Specifications
- 0-60 mph : 2.8 seconds (manufacturer's claim)
- Top Speed: 155 mph, 250 km/h (155 mph, 250 km/h supercharged)
- Power: 245 bhp @ 8200 rpm (300 bhp supercharged)
- Torque: 210 N·m (154.9 ft·lbf) @ 6100 rpm
- Weight: 455 kg (1,010 lb)
- Transmission: Honda six-speed with reverse or GM six speed with reverse
- Price: £30,000/£45,000 supercharged (cost in the US is $49,980 Base Price)
- Engine: 2.0L Honda K20A1, 4 Cylinder, i-VTEC or 2.0L supercharged, 2.2L or 2.4L Gm ecotec 4 Cylinder
- Manufacturer: Ariel Motor Company Ltd
- Length: 3410 mm (134.3 in)
- Width: 1798 mm (70.8 in) / 1828 mm (72 in) with 225 Tyres
- Height: 1195 mm (47 in)
- Track: 1600 mm (63 in) front and rear
- Wheelbase: 2345 mm (92.3 in)
- Designer: Nik Smart
Suspension
Edmunds.com
Edmunds.com is a provider of automotive information via Web sites, books, and other media. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, California and maintains an office outside of Detroit, Michigan...
noted that "anyone who has driven a selection of Lotus-tuned cars, such as the Elise, the Aston Martin Vanquish and the Opel Speedster, will notice a common feel or signature, and it's replicated in the Atom."
The Atom’s suspension is derived from single seat racing cars and is fully adjustable, requiring only a spanner
Wrench
A wrench or spanner is a tool used to provide grip and mechanical advantage in applying torque to turn objects—usually rotary fasteners, such as nuts and bolts—or keep them from turning....
. Both front and rear double unequal length wishbones and inboard, pushrod-operated dampers contribute to the Atom’s dynamic racecar-like handling. Adjustable suspension rod ends feature inboard rubber/metal bushings to promote a more comfortable road-going ride. The front and rear Bilstein dampers are also adjustable. Stacked light and heavy coil springs produce a low spring rate for minor deflections and a higher rate for large ones.
Acceleration
In 2005 Track and Race Car magazine published the results of a comprehensive test of a range of cars, from the Porsche 911 Carrera SPorsche 901
Porsche 901 was the name originally intended for the Porsche 911.By the early 1960s, Porsche project design numbers had reached into the 19th century. For instance, Porsche's 1962 F1 model was called Porsche 804....
, Ford GT
Ford GT
The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car. Ford Motor Company produced the Ford GT for the 2005 to 2006 model years. The designers drew inspiration from Ford's GT40 race cars of the 1960s.- Development :...
, BMW M5
BMW M5
The first BMW M5, based on the E28 5 Series, made its debut at Amsterdam Motor Show in February 1984. It was the product of demand for an automobile with the carrying capacity of a saloon , but the overall performance of a sports car. It utilized the 535i chassis and an evolution of the engine from...
to the Caterham CSR 260. The Supercharged Ariel Atom 1 won the 0-100-0 mph test by a clear margin, reaching 100 mi/h and then stopping in 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
Autocar
Autocar is a weekly British automobile magazine published by Haymarket Motoring Publications Ltd. It refers to itself as "The World's oldest car magazine".-History:...
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.
Also, the Ariel Atom is the fastest indoor road car. During 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 metres 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 mi/h and started to get traction. The Atom was beaten only by a Class 9 Autograss
Autograss
Autograss racing is Britain’s most popular form of amateur motor racing. It takes place at venues throughout England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland....
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 Gears The Stig
The Stig
The Stig is a character in the British motoring television show Top Gear. The character plays on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who, or indeed what, is inside the character's racing suit. The character was the creation of presenter Jeremy...
.
The British newspaper The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
measured the time taken from 0 to 60 mi/h at 2.89 seconds, making it the world's third fastest accelerating production car then available after the $1.3 million, 1001 PS Bugatti Veyron
Bugatti Veyron
The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engined grand touring car. The Super Sport version is the fastest road-legal production car in the world, with a top speed of . The original version has a top speed of...
which reaches 0 to 60 mi/h in 2.46 seconds, and the Ultima GTR
Ultima GTR
The Ultima GTR is a sports car manufactured by Ultima Sports Ltd of Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, and described by commentators as a supercar. The car is available both in kit form and as a "turnkey" vehicle. The design is mid engined, rear wheel drive layout, with a tubular steel space...
, which reaches 60 mi/h in 2.6 seconds; the review was in 2005.
United States licensing
Brammo MotorsportsBrammo Motorsports
Brammo, Inc. is an electric vehicle company based in Ashland, Oregon, United States. Its first production electric motorcycle, the Enertia, is assembled in Sárvár, Hungary and is selling online via the company's website and is available for sale and service at select motorcycle dealers throughout...
of Ashland, Oregon
Ashland, Oregon
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...
signed a deal with Ariel Ltd to manufacture the Atom in the US starting in late 2005. In the US the Atom 2 was available with the supercharged GM Ecotec engine, which was introduced in 2004 on the Saturn ION Red Line and is also used in the Chevrolet Cobalt SS
Chevrolet Cobalt SS
The Cobalt SS is a line of three sport compact versions of the Chevrolet Cobalt built on the General Motors Delta platform at Lordstown Assembly in Ohio, United States...
. A limited run of approximately 10 US built Atom 2 cars, manufactured in 2006-2007, were powered by imported Honda K20As. Brammo Motorsports ceased production of the Atom in 2008 to focus on the manufacture of an electric motorcycle.
In January 2008 it was officially announced that licensed manufacturing of the Ariel Atom for the US market would be undertaken by TMI AutoTech Inc at a purpose built facility at Virginia International Raceway
Virginia International Raceway
The Virginia International Raceway is a road course located in the community of Alton, Virginia near Danville, Virginia. It is found less than a half-mile from the North Carolina/Virginia border just outside Milton, North Carolina on the banks of the Dan River...
. TMI started their production by building Atom 3 cars which are Honda powered. TMI AutoTech Inc is also associated with Trak Motorsports Inc, the company that operate the Ariel Atom Experience trackdays in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Ariel Atom 500
Ariel announced in February 2008 its latest Atom variant, the Ariel Atom 500. It features a 500 horsepower 3.0 litre John Hartley designed V8 engine, carbon fibre body panels and aerofoils, chromoly aerofoil wishbones, integrated function steering wheel, Alcon four-piston brake calipers, and Dymag magnesium wheels. The engine weighs 90 kg and is coupled to a Sadev 6-speed sequential gearbox to cope with the increased power over the Honda unit. During the development process the RS performance engine was replaced by a unit prepared by Hartley Enterprises giving the final production version of the 550 kg car 900 bhp/tonne.Ariel claims this variant will accelerate from 0-60 mph in "less than 2.3 seconds".
Ariel will produce just 25 this year, prices are expected to be at least $160,000
On 23rd January 2011, the Atom 500 set the lap record around the Top Gear test track
Top Gear Test Track
The Top Gear test track is used by the BBC automotive television programme Top Gear. It is located at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, United Kingdom. The track was designed by Lotus Cars...
, with a time of 1:15.1, making it the fastest road-legal car to go around the track.
Wrightspeed X1
The Ariel Atom was unofficially used by Wrightspeed as the base of a one-off prototype called the Wrightspeed X1Wrightspeed X1
The Wrightspeed X1 is a one-off Ariel Atom heavily modified to use an all-electric powertrain. The Atom was chosen for its light weight and efficient design. The electric motor and inverter are sourced from AC Propulsion, makers of the TZero concept car, while the batteries are low weight, high...
, which is a proof of concept of the company's all-electric powertrain.
External links
- www.arielmotor.co.uk Ariel Motor Company website