28 May 2009 - 09:00
Atom 500: the world’s fastest?
When we first saw the Ariel Atom 500 last year, it's fair to say we were excited. Well, wouldn't you be? A skeletal track special with a 500bhp V8 wedged in the back and a power-to-weight ratio of 1,000bhp per tonne, twice that of a Bugatti Veyron?
Then it all went very quiet. We were sad. Had the financial downturn claimed another victim?
No. Ariel has just given us a whole bunch of new details on the Atom 500, and confirmed that it will build 25 of the insane lightweights this year.
Here's the number you really need to know: less than 2.5 seconds. That's how long it'll take the Atom 500 to hit 60mph, and it'll rack up 100mph in less than six seconds for good measure. Ariel reckons it could be the fastest production car ever made.
All that speed comes from a 3.0-litre, naturally aspirated V8 developing 500bhp. It's a neat little unit, weighing in at less than 90kg and channelling its power to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox. For the moment, you'll have to change gears with a manual shifter, but Ariel says it is investigating the possibility of paddle shifters.
Like the Caterham R500, the Atom 500 features adjustable traction and launch control... but we'd imagine it'll still be a Stig-spec task to get all that power down on the start line. Revised brakes and a stiffer suspension set-up should come in handy when you arrive at that first corner far, far quicker than you expected.
As for the price... well, Ariel says it hasn't been confirmed yet, but asserts that ‘standard specification will be very high'. We're not completely sure what options boxes you can actually tick on a Atom order form (steering wheel? Passenger seat?) but that doesn't seem to have put off potential customers: almost half of the 25 planned 500s have already been sold.
It's going fast, in other words. Would you expect anything else?
Now watch Clarkson get his face reshaped by the Atom smasher:
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It looks better than both the R500 Caterham and the KTM X-Bow. I'm not sure if the 500 bhp is neccessary, there's only a handful of people who can make good use of such power but it does add to it's appeal. 1000 bhp per tonne in a road car........ that is insane and wrong on almost every level, does'nt stop me from wanting one.
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It'll cost quite a lot though, i'm thinking 120K, maybe a bit more.
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I was actually quite dissapointed when they stopped talking about this car, i too thought it was dead, but thank god there is still some lunacy in the motor industry.
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They'll HAVE to come up with flappy-paddles, just to provide something to hold onto...
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This car just slapped the financial crisis in the face
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WHOA!!! OMG THAT'S PURELY AMAZING, HOW MUCH??????????? Try putting a Bugatti engine into that!
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wow graet its stupid you'l never use the speed
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(^ it wouldn't fit. At all.) You know a car is serious when it has F1 aerodynamics and a small capacity V8. Yes please.
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Cool. Now whack a few turbos on to that V8 and you will be a driving god
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It's still a toy though, isn't it? Something that spends most of its life at Donington or Silverstone. And as toys go, i'm sorry but you can't do much better than that Dutch 'Carver'. There's a new one of those out too now. :)
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@ A4RON-24, don't be stupid- a Veyron weighs almost two tonnes, an Atom around a quarter of that. Not a chance. I'm also delighted this wasn't axed, anyone for a 500/R500 battle?
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That is absolutely mental!!!!!
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I wonder about the outcome of the 500/R500 shoot out. As the R500 is clearly out powered, the handling might make a difference. Still there is the 500bhp Caterham RST-V8 Levante but that doesn't really count as it is not clickable on the Caterham site.
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Am I right in thinking this could challenge the Caparo T1s time that never stood?
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W O W well done ariel
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Just a small point but the car sounds like it ll go fantastic and probably sound fantastic but that rear spoiler looks more like a chav v y piece of halfords than an proper aerodynamic addition GOD of all driving
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Less than 2.5 to 60 is purely mathematical; there is unlikely to be any way that the car will generate sufficient traction off the line to achieve this in reality. The Veyron has 4wd and much more weight over the wheels and will remain the fastest off the line.
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Less than 2.5 seconds & 1.000 HP per tonne that is more than a Bugatti Veyron The topspeed I think is 180 - 190 MPH
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i wonder y they r extremely negative in putting any options, y dnt they make stuff like carbon fibre coated stuff like gps and radio, 5 lbs wont hurt u no
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I'm so glad they added that awesome rear wing to it, it looks great and it definitely needs the downforce...
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Please please have it round the track so it can obliterate the Gumpert. No longer can I bear such an ugly, horridly named car at the top!
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@jeffrey i agree and that would be great ... if someone is brave enough to do it on something that is on the first look seems to be a go-kart.
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They will defintely have to have a flappy panal gearbox because it does take a bit of time to change gears on a manual one. It probably takes two seconds. But I definitely think that this will go to the top of the leader board.
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They are going to have to have some special tires that small that are speed rated to what? How many MPH will it do.
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Turbomatic commented on this article
28 May 2009
OMG, Those stats are IMPOSSIBLE, if the normal one bent Jeremys face back, its fair to say this one will tear it off! This will go top of the board and beat the gumpert! But only if it can get over speedbumps!
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