- The all-new Ariel Atom comes powered by a Honda Civic Type R engine.
- The fourth-gen Atom is built ground up.
- Will make its debut at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
It was 1999 when Ariel, a small-scale carmaker from Crewkerne in Somerset, England, revealed the Atom. A hardcore, lightweight, bare-bones sports car which was capable of blowing the faces of the drivers with the lightest dab of the throttle. It was the fastest accelerating car and at one point of time, it was powered by a massive V8 as well. And now, we have a new one.
Although it looks similar to the outgoing model (there’s not much to distinguish in the first place), the Atom 4 is built ground up. It is now powered by Civic Type R turbocharged K20C 2.0-litre motor punching out 320bhp and 420Nm sitting behind the driver. Now that doesn’t sound much, but if the experience of the previous Atoms are anything to go by, it is more than enough to pull off an accretion time of just 2.8 seconds.
The all-new chassis is similar to the tubular one of the previous car but is designed in-house by Ariel engineers. The stiffness has increased by 15 per cent since the frame’s tubes are now larger in diameter. It has also cleared up more space on the interior with more legroom than before.
The exhaust system has been designed to meet race track noise regulations with stainless steel twin outlets. The fuel tank capacity has also been increased to lend the two-seater a range of around 480kilometres. A new suspension geometry gets revised inboard and outboard points. The Bilstein dampers sit inboard operated by pushrods via new geometry bellcranks. A revised steering has also increased the turning radius for better maneuverability in the city. The optional full-carbon wheels are 50 per cent lighter than before and wrapped in 195/50R16 front and 255/40ZR17 rear section Avon tyres.
The bodywork is all-new and more aerodynamic than before. The famous ‘aero screen’ is present as well. All the standard features which make the Atom road legal have either been worked upon or replaced with new ones to make the Atom 4 the fastest Atom to date. It will make its dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed before hitting the streets next year.
