Obsessed with Ariel Atom/Ultima GTR!!!!!!!!!!

[BillyIdol]

I knew about the Atom before I bought my 91 NSX, but this Ariel Atom is amazing! I know that it doesn't have a roof, but Ferrari Enzo performance for 50-100k, that is an amazing value! Pros: 0-60 in under 3 seconds, save 1.2 millions dollars. Cons: have to wear a helmet, must use sunscreen, can't take the girlfriend to the movies in it. When I first saw the Atom on Top Gear, it really did look real dorky to me. It looked like a dune buggy or toy car. But I forgot about that incredible performance!

Then I learned about the Ultima GTR, and how it broke the Top Gear track record by 4.8 seconds! Then I learned that it is sort of affordable, but I am not real confident about putting a kit car together. I like the fact that it has a roof. Maybe these cars are too extreme for me, but we all need to dream, right?

I think that I like the "purity" of the Ariel Atom. It is totally refreshing, I have never seen anything like it. The Atom will probably draw a bigger crowd to you than a Lamborghini. I like the fact that you can get the Atom with a Honda engine too! Reminds me of the NSX!

I think we are coming to a new age in cars. The "democratization of high performance". I mean, you can get Enzo performance for 80-100k?, that is unheard of! There are a ton of regular, everyday people in cars that can do 0-60 in under 6 seconds......that's amazing. I remember something that Jay Leno said about the Ariel Atom (with Ecotec engine). A guy in a high end Porsche scratches a rim, and it costs him a fortune. You scratch a rim in an Ariel Atom, it is not much. Blow up the Atom engine, $5,500. Blow up an engine in a Porsche.....much dinero! So, the Atom is actually........dare I say...practical and easy to care for? Sanity in an insane world? Anyway.........I think that this is an exciting time to own a sports car!!!! What do you think?

John

 

[robfenn]

I'm not sure if the Ariel is exactly the same in US but it is not much of a road car, it really does necessitate a helmet because of the lack of windscreen. That is unless you like eating flies of course..!

Does the Atom not come with a Honda engine in the US then? Over here Honda sponsor the F1 races on TV and even show clips of the Atom in the adverts, so clearly they are proud to be associated with them.

 

[Vega$ NSX]

Does the Atom not come with a Honda engine in the US then?

Nope. It comes with a supercharged GM Ecotec 2.0L engine. Here is the US supplier of Atoms.

 

[MCM]

Saw a group of 6/8 of them on PCH 2 weekends ago.
Looks like fun!
But not interested personally.
You are on display riding in those things.
They really do attract attention.

I have seen some small crotch rocket powered cars too.
Another option.........

 

[john@johnhudakracing]

Not impressed with the Atom. Especially on value and safety. Especially at 60-70g's which is about the range many are trying to get out of used ones. They can be fast but given all those compromises you would expect as much. A R1 costs like 7 grand. LOL. Comparing them to road cars or super cars is frankly ridiculous. I'd buy a Radical or even a cheap DSR or formula mazda first, but then again I don't care if it is a street legal road car or not. You know... I hear a fully built Radical SR8 turbo laps almost as fast as a P1 Prototype. Get some trip permits and you can street pimp that around. :wink:

The Ultima. Well, it has been for some time a very capable performer on-track or off. I've looked at them. It has a roof which is a significant improvement. You don't have to build one, their are sufficient ones available second hand. As one of the members mentioned they are pretty much a track car maybe with A/C (if you got that option) so re-sale on them is usually marginal relative to what many of the owners sink in to their projects. To any of those whom treat them as road cars they are pretty much just toys. Have you ever owned a CSR before? It's like a few steps up the street-ability ladder from that. Yes, you can street pimp this stuff, but really... why would you want to?

With any of these types of track vehicles with license plates on the back it is very much give and take. The fact is that you'll take a huge hit on safety/reliability/street-ability/balance/feel over something like an NSX, but it sounds like you are after the numbers and that platform will deliver that to you on a silver plate far more than you'll ever get out of an NSX. As opposed to dorking around with an expensive unibody production car, it goes without saying that a simple steel tube frame + turbo small block V8 = really, really fast. :smile:

 

[Acura NsX Pilot]

I am not impressed with the car at all but the performance numbers are amazing. It comes with two seats so yes you can take your Gf to the movies in it but she will have to wear pants for the ride or be really careful like this one





As far as drawing a bigger crowd then a Lambo I highly doubt it because not that many people know what a Ariel Atom is so they will just look at it like a dune buggy.

 

[Big_nate]

I saw an Atom for the first time recently on a group drive. I was really impressed until I went home and looked up the price tag $70k for what? A small tube frame with a fiberglass bucket hung from it and a GM 4-banger? I realize theres more to it than just that, but really, from a value perspective I think it becomes silly at anything above $30k.

 

[DRIFTER]

http://pictures.aol.com/ap/singleImage.do?pid=ec70FcUBgOSDkZ3fm*H337LatXl3YK7ut5m0v4xQp5Fd3Ig=

This draws a bigger crowd then a Lambo:smile: ^ My new toy and "lil cuz"

 

[ZR-1 NSX]

Went on a road ralley earlier in the month and one of the guys had the Ariel Atom there. It definitely is a very neat little package with incredible performance capability from the Ecotech engine. But I also was shocked at how much the thing sells for. If it was in the high 20's to low 30K range, then I would say it would be a great toy for someone who has extra $'s they want to spend on a weekend toy. But they start in the mid 50K range and go up from there. You could build one hell of a nice ride with that kind of money and have plenty of performance.

Still it was nice to see, hear, and watch the thing perform. I'd love to have one.

By the way, the gentleman who had the car chased me for a while through the twisties of Southern Indiana and at the end of the day, he asked some in the group who was driving the Black NSX. He came up to me and shook my hand and said he had a great time chasing me through the twisties. He said he had no idea that the NSX's were so quick. It felt good to know that he was happy following me when I offered to let him easily pass me a few times. He now knows what a NSX is capable of.:biggrin:

 

[Acura NsX Pilot]

http://pictures.aol.com/ap/singleImage.do?pid=ec70FcUBgOSDkZ3fm*H337LatXl3YK7ut5m0v4xQp5Fd3Ig=

This draws a bigger crowd then a Lambo:smile: ^ My new toy and "lil cuz"

I know someone who got into alittle accident with one of those .... thats how I found out that no one can repair one back to the way it used to be.

 

[robfenn]

When it comes to price, you have to remember in the US you are very fortunate to have some very cheap cars. A typical sedan over in the UK is considerably more than one in the US. $70k/£35k is the going rate for these sort of cars, and i can't imagine Ariel want to lose too much money after Brammo Motorsports take their cut.

It's what you're willing to pay for individuality i guess. There are very well made cars though, way beyond a typical kit car.

 

[sahtt]

Like John said, if you want the performance of a million dollar supercar and don't mind sacrificing some safety and wearing a helmet, buy a sport bike. That's kind of the whole point really. I think after you drove an atom for a while you'd realize you still want most of the qualities of a 'normal' car in a car. No music, no protection from the weather, no control of how hot/cold your environment is, very loud, tons of wind noise, can't carry anything substantial, etc. If you want it on a budget I've got a 155hp/370lbs dry cbr 954RR that does the 1/4 in under 10 seconds and 0-60 faster than you even want it to for 6 grand.

The Ultima is more impressive and actually costs about the same as an atom in the end depending on how you go about aquiring one. That's a project worth going for IMO.