Ariel Atom 3

[dafydd2008]

Hi Guys,

After completing a Palmer day and driving the Atom, I am very much hooked and looking to purchase one in the next couple of months hopefully.
I love paddle shifts and after driving the Palmer spect ones which all have paddles i would really like to get these added and wondering if any atoms are currently on the market with them (After searching the classifieds stock seems to be so low), or if anyone knew a retro fit company and estimated cost???

The car will mainly be used for tracks and having some fun with some clients, however at the same time i am sure i will use it as a road car a few times in to town.....

[KMF]

I have never seen an Atom with this set up other than the V8.
I think the gerabox is a Sadev box and if so very expensive, perhaps 20 plus fitted

[dafydd2008]

Many thanks for the response.
20 quid is not bad..........i think for 20k i can live with a gear stick!!!

[GordonF430]

it is only the palmersport fleet & V8 that have the paddles.

I dont think the palmersport cars run quite the same gearbox, but a quick call to the factory could tell you for sure and if it was retrofittable.

I think i recall hearing there maybe a cheaper option for the honda cars coming along in the future, but the gearshift in the atom is actually pretty good as a manual.

also you'll find normal cars are lighter than the palmersport ones as the chassis is modified for their usage.

Magic car though - on my second now and loving it

[swampy56]

As Gordon says the manual box on the atom 3 is very very slick, book a test drive at the factory and you'll see just how good it is. And you might end up puting down a deposit. :-)

[FlyingTrotter]

Yep the paddle shift is only on the .v8 and the cost is such it won't be on any others in the near future unless someone feeling cost is no barrier asks - I have little doubt you could specify it albeit you would create the most expensive 300 ever

I see you are London based - I'm NW London - happy to take you out / show you what a 300 is like as distinct from a Palmer car which is frankly a lot different starting with fuel source !

[Evo10]

The Palmersport cars are a special version just for them, I wonder what a 300 with the Sadev box and paddle shift setup would be...mmmm Nice but not needed in a car thats on the road rather than track most of the time imho - nice tho if money no issue

[Atom Johnny]

A couple of US owners have successfully retrofitted the MasterShift kit. The kit enables gear selection without taking your hands off the wheel but still requires operation of the clutch by the driver.

[glyn430]

circa £20k plus to retro fit a sequential paddle shift (minimum)

[jimmyslr]

glyn430 said:

circa £20k plus to retro fit a sequential paddle shift (minimum)

Is this true? V expensive. I was looking at a sadev for my caterham. The box itself was 6k ish. You need to fit it etc on top. If you want all singing/dancing flappy paddles then that's a chunk more, but not as much again.

The caterham is a drop in box which maybe helps.

[glyn430]

jimmyslr said:

Is this true? V expensive. I was looking at a sadev for my caterham. The box itself was 6k ish. You need to fit it etc on top. If you want all singing/dancing flappy paddles then that's a chunk more, but not as much again.

The caterham is a drop in box which maybe helps.

100% im afraid, the gearbox for the type r box is circa 11500 plus then the sequential is 4800 plus then the new ecu and fitting = over 20k,i tried to get it done but its just not worth that sort of money

[CraigyMc]

Evo10 said:

The Palmersport cars are a special version just for them, I wonder what a 300 with the Sadev box and paddle shift setup would be...mmmm Nice but not needed in a car thats on the road rather than track most of the time imho - nice tho if money no issue

Sorry for the thread resurrection, but I did a PalmerSport day last week and came away from it with a strong hankering for an Atom. Slithering about in the damp wasn't a great indication of the limits of the car, but it did at least show the thing has some balance (I've never kicked anything sideways at 70mph on the exit of a corner with that much finesse before)

I was told the PalmerSport gearbox is the same one used in the Formula Palmer Jaguar and the PalmerSport LM cars.

I suspect even getting one of those boxes fitted to an Atom wouldn't help much because most of the palmersport cars are LPG powered (there's no petrol in anything fast at PalmerSport: their BMW M3s, Caterhams, FPJs, PS LMs and even the buses are LPG powered. I cant' swear to their Defenders being LPG though, and their kart fleet are petrol powered, unsurprisingly).

If my suspicions are correct, the PalmerSport box is pneumatic and may actually use pressure from the LPG tank to engage (I can't swear to this, but it would make some sense given the mode of use). Getting that certified for use on the road would be a nonstarter.

C

[KMF]

Just forget the Sadev box unles you have deep pockets. Even the 120hp cars are faster than most other cars you will come up against on the road and even the track. They are super fun and get more looks than any othet car i have ever driven. No good if you are shy

[dsl2]

Pressure from the LPG tank to shift gears, mmmm don't think so. Explosive combustable gas doesn't sound entirely sensible for that job!

You should find it has a small 12v compressor feeding into an accumulator (Air tank) & from there in to a valve block that fires the shift rod & throttle blip to & fro.

[BigBen]

The Sadev box is now an option on all Atoms, I know this as I saw one in build a few weeks back at the factory.

It is about £20k so you would have to really hate changing gear.......

Ben

[CraigyMc]

dsl2 said:

Pressure from the LPG tank to shift gears, mmmm don't think so. Explosive combustable gas doesn't sound entirely sensible for that job!

You should find it has a small 12v compressor feeding into an accumulator (Air tank) & from there in to a valve block that fires the shift rod & throttle blip to & fro.

For a track-only car, why would you bother?

Not saying you're wrong, obviously.

C

[fieldl]

It's the Sadev gearbox which as already posted is around 11-12k then you'll need the Geartronics flat shift kit which is another 3-4k plus then a few other bits and then labour easy 20k.

I've been looking into how I could get a sequential in mine and there are cheaper options.
A Quaife or Elite box comes in about 5k but is a bit unknown. Compound all of this with the complexity of getting these parts into Mainland China and I suspect I'll be sticking with the standard box. Or maybe look at some sort of dog box.

Other things to sort first.

[benhfdsf]

hi i can can tell you that it is definitely a sadev box running palmers own developed paddle shift system. which uses a compressed air system.you will also have to have a new ecu and wiring loom so dig deep into those large pockets of yours!!! if your interested in getting one fitted to your atom speak to the fleet manager at palmersports i'm sure they will be happy to sell you a kit!!

[CraigyMc]

benhfdsf said:

hi i can can tell you that it is definitely a sadev box running palmers own developed paddle shift system. which uses a compressed air system.you will also have to have a new ecu and wiring loom so dig deep into those large pockets of yours!!! if your interested in getting one fitted to your atom speak to the fleet manager at palmersports i'm sure they will be happy to sell you a kit!!

Useful, ta.

[WMD UK]

Hi guy, I know this is an old post, but I am trying to obtain the software for the master shift system, and it was mentioned that a couple of USA members had the system fitted to their atoms.
Would anyone have an more information on this?
Thanks in advance.