I want this car!

I saw this on a TV show a few days ago and I fell completely in lust. How could I have missed this up until now?

An Ariel Atom.
Roughly $50,000 and totally impractical.

0-to-60 in 2.9 seconds.
Second in their lap time history (and not by much!) to only the Ferrari Enzo (which, if you can find one, goes for only what, $600,000? That's over 10 times the price of an Atom).
0-to-100-to-0 (yep, that means from a standing start to 100 and then back to zero) in less than 11 seconds.

Not practical? Who cares!?! The driver on the TV show had his face blown back like an astronaut in a centrifuge. Now that was with a supercharged Acura engine in it, but what else comes even close? The power to weight ratio is preverse.

They raced it against a hot Honda motorcycle. The bike was first off the line, but the Atom caught it at the first corner and led by about 4 seconds at the end of the first lap!

Who says the British can't build a car? Gimme 2!!

And it is a 2-seater. Impress the ladies. Ooooooo, baby! Was it good for you, too?

Ariel Atom

Someone has been watching Top Gear

Yea, that was a really cool car, looked really FUN to drive.

Well, Yeah... But is it street legal?

Silviron said:

Well, Yeah... But is it street legal?

Click to expand...

Yes it is... :naughty:

See the Top Gear video here, and the Fifth Gear video here.

Wow! I've just given up riding motorcycles (too dangerous) and I think this would be an awesome replacement.

One penny, two pennies, three pennies...I should have enough saved up by the time I'm too old to drive it.

The real question is what does it top out at?

If you can keep it stable it'll do 130+ MPH without problems..........


So, the real question is can you keep it stable at that speed? (good luck)

MaxaBaker said:

If you can keep it stable it'll do 130+ MPH without problems..........


So, the real question is can you keep it stable at that speed? (good luck)

Click to expand...

Hmmmm...I think I'm seeing where the other $550,000 goes into the Ferrari.

Actually, for that price, the Enzo doesn't do much better

Haha, I watched Top Gear the other day... As soon as I saw a post title "I want this car!" I already knew what car you were talking about

all built by a company which has a total of 7 employees afaik!
I'm going to write to them, see if I can get some engineering work experience. Don't rate my chances very highly though.

It weighs 456 kg!!? No wonder it's so quick!

You can get a shelby cobra for less than that. It's a higher performing car also.

Naturally I speak of a replica, not the $400,000 original.

Righto! Seven employees and they build a car that goes like stink, corners like stink, and stops on a dime and gives you nine cents change. All for about $50K.

Ughhh! Bad, bad case of car lust.

And ain't that video a hoot?!?!

For something that looks a little more traditional: http://www.caterham.co.uk/showroom/index.htm

Same performance, same price bracket.

The Catherham is based on the Lotus Super Seven. As wonderful as it is, it will not get from 0-to-60 in 2.91 seconds, and does not have the full tilt, all around performance of the Ariel Atom.

Please don't misunderstand. The Caterham Seven is a truely wonderful knuckle-dragger of a honest-to-goodness sportscar (so low slung that you can touch the ground while in it, or just about) with a great history, but it will not pull your face back with its accelleration. It will not make you scream like a little girl as you hit every apex like a hammer on a nail head. Even if you were to stuff a fully tricked-out rotary engine in the front (more power, less weight). A Seven will never, ever beat up a hot ~600cc motorcycle on a track.

The Seven is quaint (based on a 40+ year old car design - and not just that it has front engine and rear wheel drive) and it is fast and fun. But even as small as it is, compared to the Atom, it's virtually practical. And I dearly love the Seven (Lotus, Catherham, etc.).

But the Ariel Atom is, well, absolutely, totally, completely insane. Being a sick person, I find that almost irresistable.

Nothing else has the power to weight ratio. Nothing has the 0-to-60 times, or the 0-to-100-to-0 times. Nothing in the $50K range comes close. Heck, add another zero to the price and you'd still be hard pressed to get that much total insanity on four wheels.

I'd like a Seven, but I LUST for an Atom.

chmsam said:

Nothing else has the power to weight ratio. Nothing has the 0-to-60 times, or the 0-to-100-to-0 times. Nothing in the $50K range comes close. Heck, add another zero to the price and you'd still be hard pressed to get that much total insanity on four wheels.

Click to expand...

I'm sorry, did you miss my post about the cobra above?

You can get top of the line for about $43k. You can get middle of the line, but still the same performance for mid 30's.

chmsam, I saw a Top Gear clip where Tiff Needell drove a Caterham 0-60 in 2.9........it is possible.

Also, Hennessey Performance can upgrade Dodge Viper SRT-10s to hit 0-60 in 2.2 seconds.

http://www.hennesseyperformance.com...tNyC&DoThis=Dodge+Viper+SRT10&ActionReq=Where

Re: I want this "bike"!

Well, it does not add to the ongoing discussion, but as you guys were already talking gas and oil, let me add what I would wish to drive one day:

You'll choke on whatever you are drinking right now and wonder why someone would want something like that...well...I don't know....maybe fascination...passion...whatever....


Let me introduce you to one of only about 6300 of them build during the 1965-1971, the


disclaimer: the actual vehicles shown in those pictures are not mine

:rock:

That is a rare and expensive (cheap compared to your fuel-blasting thing above ) thing, hard to find and those who own one won't part with it. Don't even think those are the usual Vespa's you see standing/lying around at the street corner!!!

Some specs I copied from another page as I don't have everything of that model in my small head:

The glove box looks like a fuel tank and was positioned between the saddle and the handlebar on top of the spare wheel for a more laid-back riding style. The handlebar was narrow and low, and the mudguard and cowling were streamlined. With an engine capacity of only 90 cc, it could do 93 km/h. The Vespa Super Sprint was produced in 3 colors; red, blue and white.

Technical Information engine single cylinder, 2-stroke
cylinder bore 47 mm
piston stroke 51 mm
cubic capacity 88.5 cc
bhp at rpm 6 @ 6000
lubrication 2%
carburetor Dell'Orto SHB 16/16
gears 4
chassis one-piece metal pressing
tires 3.00 x 10"
weight 77 kg
max. speed 93 km/h

Click to expand...

Darell might me with Kel's wip for loving and supporting two-stroke engines.

Re: I want this "bike"!

I still want a twin turbo lingenfelter corvette. 0-60 was under 2 secs. Qtr mile was low 9 sec. Daily driveable, stock looking, capable of 250mph, decent gas mileage.