Home > Article > Ariel Atom 2

Ariel Atom 2

by: Joe Symmes

Posted on: Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 2:17 pm by: Joe Symmes
Comments (1)

BAM! Just like that you hit 60 mph as you snick the shifter into 3rd. Just 2.9 seconds ago you were at a dead stop wondering if the optional windscreen was going to keep the bugs out of your teeth. Now, you couldn’t care less as the wind whips through your hair and the g-forces stretch your face

The Ariel Atom 2 is the closest four wheels have ever come to feeling like a motorcycle. With few body panels (even they are optional), an exposed tube frame, and four open wheels this roadster is the definition of minimalism until it comes to performance

Backed by a 2.0L Honda i-VTEC aluminum block, four cylinder that relies on 16 valves and a chain driven dual overhead cam to reach its 8600 rpm redline. The square 86mm bore x 86mm stoke produces 245 horsepower at 8200 rpm and 21 NM of torque at 6100 rpm. Pushing just 456kg’s means this exoskeleton bodied “car” has a power to weight ratios of just 1.9 kg per BHP in base form. Select the optional supercharger and output jumps to 300 BHP. To put this into perspective, the awesome Porsche 911 Carrera produces 320 BHP and weighs 1350kg for a power to weight ratios of 4.2 kg per BHP!

Coupled to an aluminum close ratio 6-speed manual transmission, and aluminum, push rod, coil-over suspension, the Ariel Atom 2 lapped the BBC motoring television’s “Top Gear” track faster than both the Lamborghini Murcilago LP640 and a Porsche Carrera GT. With a time of just 10.66 seconds, a supercharged Atom 2 beat out the top offerings from Ford (GT), BMW (M5), and Porsche (911), to take the top spot in “Track and Race Car” magazine’s 0-100-0 mph test. It seems that if you want to go faster than an Ariel Atom 2, you are going to need a Bugatti Veyron which uses all 987 BHP to reach 0-60 in just 2.46 seconds. At $1.3 million a copy, be sure to bring your platinum card!

Starting at just under 20,000 pounds, you can order a basic Atom with only headlights and gages for amenities. The option list reminds you of what a dedicated performance car this really is. Everything from a Quaife Limited slip differential to an integrated roll bar can be ordered. When was the last time a regular street car had the option of a “fire extinguisher plug in”? Not to get too carried away though, there are some luxury accessories that will make your drive more comfortable. How about wider seat belts or an intercom system so you can hear your passenger over the rush of air though the intake immediately behind your head?

With just seven employees, the British-based Ariel has produced a giant slayer in the diminutive Atom 2. Drawing on more than 100 years of car building experience, this team of engineers has managed to channel all they have learned over the past century to produce a real benchmark car. With performance that very few sport bikes and even fewer super cars can match, the Ariel Atom 2 is truly a road legal, race car.