k20a powered 1000 lbs pure mechanical bliss. the Ariel Atom. what can i say... it is SICK. now on top my favroite list. forget the WCM ultralite (which fellow HT guy says has mechanical issues). drove it around streets of willows it is just... wonderful. 1:29.x driving it like... 7/10th. i'm sure some of you hot lapper/racers know you get bored driving the car by yourself and have to do w2w to have fun. but let me tell you this thing is incredible. it's like, you adjust the thottle by 1% you can feel how the car changes direction. i can drive this car all by myself all day long and just smile. and driving something like this really gives a clue on how awe inspiring the F1 cars are... they're basically the same weight, but with about 3.5x the power. crazy down force, and crazy brakes... maybe someday...

check the specs: http://www.arielmotor.co.uk/04/frames.htm

i told Niki we can get 220 whp easy. we'll fix him up sometimes in the future. for now the car is plenty quick. too bad exchange rate is kinda jacked at 1.94 right now. but at $50k this is a pretty sweet deal. i heard it can be made street legal too. niki's had this beauty in garage for like 9 month. i dunno how he managed to stair at it for all this time (he was so busy working). it was his first time out in the car too. good driver with great car control. i'm glad it's in the hands of a owner who can really work it!! i just showed him the lines and the lap times started to drop fast.



Modified by ghettoracer at 7:20 AM 12/6/2004

 

now this is hot

 

wow, all i can say is wow..... makes an elise look downright porky!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by elgorey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">now this is hot
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There is/was a local guy selling one here in Seattle area this summer and claimed it was the only one currently in the US. Here are a few pics:

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rodney &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">wow, all i can say is wow..... makes an elise look downright porky! </TD></TR></TABLE>
It also makes an Elise look practical!

 

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Am I the only one thinking that it looks out of place without R Compounds on?

 

I wonder if the side impact protection is sufficient for racing.

 

it's a very well engineered car. i felt very safe in it.

 

EDIT, I'm too tired today.

 

wonder which has better overall performance on a track, this piece of kit or the radical SR3

 

it depends on the track. radical have better aero package i believe.

http://www.arielmotor.co.uk/04/frames.htm

scroll down to middle of the page, i'm not sure which track it was done at but the Ariel beat a lot of cars. including Caterham R400, Radical SR3LM, Noble M12R, Pagani Zonda. 996 GT3 does amazing lap times against the competition. i wonder which track this was.

ps, I think it is Rockingham National Circuit. test done by AutoCar.

"

'The Ariel Atom was barely believable, and for more than just its hottest lap. Now with Honda iVTEC power, a six-speed 'box and thoroughly revised suspension, it is a remarkable car, and the perfect antidote to the super-sticky racers. The Atom was all about controlled drifting from one turn to the next: using every last rev and capitalising on the torque. With just 500kg to lump about, 152lb/ft of torque suddenly becomes twist-worthy. There was just something so rewarding about the Atom, something so intense and raw that it was the car we all wanted to stay in and lap... It's ability to match what is at time eye-opening speed with a grippy and yet totally exploitable chassis was amazing. Every one of these (the cars on test) will make you feel a hero, but the Atom gets into your veins like nothing else on four wheels."

that's a great endorsement, considering the company of cars. wow!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fastfour &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There is/was a local guy selling one here in Seattle area this summer and claimed it was the only one currently in the US. Here are a few pics:



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its got plates! i'd love to see one of those things on the road... maybe thats why it doesnt have r tires on it

 

Ariel Atom's are hotness. They have a 300+ hp Turbo version in Europe.

I'd still rather have a Noble though. Especially for how close they are in price.

 

My favorite part is that is has a passenger seat...

I bet being a passenger would border on terrifying with a hint of orgasm.

 

Hmm. Voice of dissent - I don't get it but then, I don't really get "track cars" either.

If you are going to spend that much on a something with wheels, why not get either (a) something that improves the quality of your everyday life (e.g., more comfort, convenience, economy, or whatever), or (b) something that actually fits a racing class?

If you want something that you can take to track days and pose next to, while people take pictures, I guess that's something but that requires a particular kind of ego. And setting fast time of the day at a non-race track day, against cars with vastly different power/weight ratios just doesn't seem like a challenge.

K

PS - I'm curious what WA state thinks that plate is on. I seem to remember something about a requirement for a rear plate and registration stickers on the front.

 

Kirk, you obviously don't have enough disposable income. Otherwise, you'd "get it".

 

Kirk you could say the exact same thing about w2w.

Its all about your perspective, and your personal goals. Some people are more into the cars, some are more into personal performance, some are more into the competition. To each his own. No reason to look down on others.

 

"Voice of dissent" simply meant that I disagree with the views of others. I'm not an evangelical anti-track-car guy and would never try to convert anyone to what is obviously the correct path toward enlightenment...

K

 

How can that be street legal. It doesn't seem very safe at all. All I can see now is some soccer mom in a SUV running over the driver because she didn't see him.
Its still kick *** though, and yeah I would drive it on the street until my back started to hurt

 

i dunno guys, it feels safer than Lotus 7. you're fully enclosed in this rib cage chassis. you sit way low though, so visibility is not as good as a lotus 7 nor does it feel as wide open. it is so light and pretty softly sprung, very comfortable for the street i'd say. in warm sunny cali days, i think it'd be a great fun car to drive the back roads with. legal wise, it just needs running lights right? i believe Ariel qualifies as a small production car mfg.

erik: Nobel M12 GTO 3R? That's like $95k i think, this is just under $50k. Noble is a true daily drivable super car. Atom is just 100% pure bliss.

kirk (sorry!! thx Bowie): are you kidding? even at current exchange rate final cost of ~US$50k, not much is close performance wise... i guess the questions is, if we had $50k disposable income right now, what would we do with it. i guess for true bang for the buck, look no further than shifter karts. much more cost effective.

ps, if i'm not mistaken, honda likes Ariel and actually sells them new K20A powertrains... Honda didn't even want to sell Lotus K20A's.




Modified by ghettoracer at 11:04 AM 12/7/2004

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ghettoracer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
kurt: are you kidding? even at current exchange rate final cost of ~US$50k, not much is close performance wise... i guess the questions is, if we had $50k disposable income right now, what would we do with it. i guess for true bang for the buck, look no further than shifter karts. much more cost effective.

Modified by ghettoracer at 10:46 AM 12/7/2004</TD></TR></TABLE>

A) His name is KIRK. Not Kurt, KIRK. As someone whose name gets screwed up all the time, I feel the need to bring this to light. (My name is BOO- ee, not like the rock star, not Louie, not billy, etc.) I have seen lots of people not bothering to get others' names right lately, so you are not the only one, Frank, but I feel the need to say...err...type something. It is a sign of respect to at least know someone's name.

B) He made a big point of not putting anyone's opinions down. He just said that for him, it didn't push his buttons. Maybe he would rather take that $50,000, and instead of paying 5 years worth of payments on a limited use track car, instead use it for 5 years worth of the trials and tribulations of trying to race a car never meant for it. Both are equally valid, if you ask me.

Yeah it is a cool car, and I am sure it is VERY fast. Not for me.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ghettoracer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">but at $50k this is a pretty sweet deal. </TD></TR></TABLE>

you have GOT to be kidding me.

 

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why?

It will be faster than just about every car costing twice as much or more.... and consumables will be a lot less due to the lightweight.

 

Who are you going to race it against?