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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I wonder where the engine was sourced from. The old one powering the 300 was knicked from a Honda; the one powering the shoddy non-300 version was a GM [yuck] engine. I didn't know that 3.0L V8s were still being made.
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looks nice but surely a proper helmet and neck supports are needed to cope with the G-forces. Fastest around the TG test track? i think its a deffo if those stats are correct. and those diffusers and spoilers will come in handy. I'd still have a Caterham Levante anyday though :)
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RIGHT ariel, after viewing this a second time (which i usually do hence my second comments every time) that claim of 'fastest production car' is a load of tosh! this wont hit 230mph, ill be in awe if it does. And even if it does, it shouldnt, these light cars are all about short ratios. It would be perfect if it topped at around 180, and the acceleration is blinding. That would make it immense, a track day/euro track demon! Fastest ACCELERATING production car, fine............but fastest overall? As if!!!
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*gear ratios
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While I like those performance figures very much. I don't get the appeal of these ultra light cars with insane power to weight ratios. The Lotus I get because it doubles as a normal car, but the only place you can use one of these Ariels or others is on a fine sunny day on a racetrack and even then you'll still be spitting bugs for days afterwards :)
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I'll wait until some mad tuning house bolts on a turbo or two... or maybe nitrous. Or both. Perhaps a JATO too for good measure... Serious car, toy only. Great!
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wow! BY GOD IVE GOT TO GET ME ONE OF THOSE!!!!!!!!!!!! 2.5 seconds! jeez. jeremy will have his face utterly destroyed! i am now off to my local ariel dealer to get one. oh. there are no dealers. goddammit!
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POWERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!! What more can I say?
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yeah! this is more like it. none of this 300hp nonsense. and why dont ariel have a racing championship that uses just atoms, like the super trofeos
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Ariel really is going insane. First the Atom, then the Supercharged Atom. Now, there's this.If I have to choose, This would be my choice. Still, Ariel should let it's customers adjust their own ratios. They could use a nitrous injection system too. My favorite car of all time, until the SSC Ultimate Aero TT comes.
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Might make a nice new car for A1GP.
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Nice idea, but you'll probably need a trailer to truck it from home to track and back.
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If this car made hamster scream for us to hear him, I really wonder what it might do to captain slow.
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It is a proper lightweigh and the price will be the same.
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@azn6138: I believe they've used some withcraft to combine two (likely already modified) motorbike engines.
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God that is 1 hell of an epic car
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Ha sounds good..that extra 200bhp may give Jeremy a better face when he gets out!!
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Also following from my previous comment it will look somthing like this...http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/6672/jeremyclarkson2nt9.jpg
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Also following from my previous comment it will look somthing like this...http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/6672/jeremyclarkson2nt9.jpg
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OMG THAT LOOKS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COOL
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i think it should have flappy panels like a ferraris to make it an ultimite supercar!!
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500 horse power in this car !!! More impressive than Bugatti Veyron. Traction control will working very busy to cope with this enourmous power And a proper launch control is a must
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This car is sooooooooooo cool!!!!!!!!!! quite sad that only 25 r being made. PLZ MAKE MORE ARIEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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could make a 4 seater version of that
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PLEASE, HOW DO U BUY AN ATOM IN THE USA! I WANT ONE!!!!!!!
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So when is the Stig going to do a lap in one?
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I bet it will cost alot. Maybe 180k?? I've no idea..
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Order yours without the aero-wing. Hardly a chav car topic subject image or anything of the sort. Improving and re designing the: wheel,cheese grater,and mouse trap might be more beneficial. Let's leave Atom to Atoms.
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I'm in love with an Arial
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Come on top gear let clarkson test it it will beat the gumput
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Get that thing to the U.S. now!!! I want to show these American gear heads what real power is.
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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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