Ariel Atom creator wins award
Designer honoured for adventurous design
Ariel Atom on track
Simon Saunders, designer and director of the Ariel Motor Company which launched the Ariel Atom sports/track car in 2001, has been awarded the prestigious Simms Medal by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC).
Named after Frederick Simms, the founding member of the RAC, the Simms Medal recognises a genuine contribution to motoring innovation by individuals or small companies that also exemplify the spirit of adventure. The Simms Medal Committee felt that Simon Saunders deserved the Award for his passionate development and manufacture of the Ariel Atom sports/track car, one of the most exciting pieces of automotive design, built for pure performance.
The Ariel Atom breaks all the rules – no doors, no screen, no roof – to thrill die-hard motoring enthusiasts. Designed with a clean sheet of paper, the Atom is completely unique, built purely for performance and, according to Simon Saunders, “dedicated to serious fun”.
RAC technical committee chairman John Wood said: “Simon Saunders is a real car enthusiast who wanted to respond to the market demands with an original solution rather than following the flock in reproducing a Lotus 7 look-alike. It is exactly this kind of automotive innovation that the Simms Medal is designed to celebrate and we are delighted to be able to reward people like Simon Saunders, who continue to push the envelope.”
The panel of judges said Saunders has succeeded in producing a vehicle that can out-sprint the exotica of the car world including Ferrari 550s, Porsche 911 Turbos as well as other favoured track cars.
Saunders said: “This is a great honour and definitely makes all the hard work the team have put in seem worthwhile. We always knew that because Ariel is a very small company with no resources to promote the Atom, the car would have to promote itself, which meant it had to look good too. The unique design definitely makes the Atom memorable, as well as its performance on the track.
“Being awarded the Simms Medal from the Royal Automobile Club makes this even more special, as it’s one of the most historic names in British motor sport. As Ariel raced in the first ever race at Brooklands it is an honour that the re-birth of Ariel should be honoured in this way”
RAC motoring committee Stephen Hammerton said: “The Club’s decision to award Saunders the Simms Medal, celebrates the achievements of not only a true enthusiast, but also a creative individual who has pioneered a first-principle approach to automotive engineering, just as our founders did in the very early days of the motor car.”
greig said:
ahem, I heard he didnt design it he stole it from coventry university...
I don't know the answer to your comment. I think he was lecturing at the time, but why is it rather than congratualte Ariel all the comments, so far, knock the man. If there is any truth in your comment there may be a group of people being financially rewarded for their efforts. Next you'll be saying it's not a British Sports car, because it hasn't got a British engine in it.
As my Mother always said "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."
It is a fantastic car to drive and has given a whole new dimension to track cars. It goes like shit off a shovel, is a unique design concept and visually stunning. Ariel deserve all the praise they get.
john lloyd said:
ahem, I heard he didnt design it he stole it from coventry university...
I don't know the answer to your comment. I think he was lecturing at the time, but why is it rather than congratualte Ariel all the comments, so far, knock the man. If there is any truth in your comment there may be a group of people being financially rewarded for their efforts. Next you'll be saying it's not a British Sports car, because it hasn't got a British engine in it.
As my Mother always said "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."
did you read any of the other posts?! 2 people said they didn't think he designed and i said i thought he did. then one of the people who thought it wasn't designed by him still said they thought it was ace, i too said i thought it was ace. another person said he thought it was very good (althought i thought he owned one too)!
i haven't read any posts saying "eee that atom's a right pile o'shite get the a caterham!"...!
oh i forgot my point (!) at the end of the day if he won an award basically because of the cars design and he didn't happen to design it then surely it's fair enough to knock him..?! i happen to think they are wrong that it was a rip-oof but i don't think any of us can prove it!
>> Edited by baskey on Tuesday 28th March 14:28
john lloyd said:
As my Mother always said "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."
not to be rude about your mother because as everyone will surely agree shes ace, nudge nudge wink wink, but thats the sort of stupid comment that parents tell their children that causes them to become blair-ite yes men. The ability to form and articulate opinions, arguments and criticisms is surely a vital skill for a human being to possess. parp.
:-)
>> Edited by greig on Tuesday 28th March 14:41
The original car the atom is (very closely) based on was indeed designed at cov uni by a number of students
led by Mr Saunders. It was called the lightweight sports car or LSC and was shown at the NEC show in 1996(I think) All 3 students were in the same year group as myself and of the 3, one works at a successful consultancy in
the midlands, one is a very successful designer now living in California (whose most recent design was in
autocar a couple of weeks ago) and the 3 rd's whereabouts is unknown. To the best of my knowledge that
original car disappeared around the Winter of '96 and a few years later the first atom appeared. Also in that
year, Mr Saunders left his teaching role at cov uni amid much (probably unfounded) controversy and
rumour. Shame really I found him quite a good tutor.
! so that'll be the chap who did the bike engined and wheeled 3 wheeler. i thought that was cool too (posted about it the other week cos i couldn't understand how you'd get much grip from bike tyres on a car... but nobody else seemed to care!
!)greig said:
but thats the sort of stupid comment that parents tell their children that causes them to become blair-ite yes men. The ability to form and articulate opinions, arguments and criticisms is surely a vital skill for a human being to possess. parp.
Couldn't agree with you more, that's why I ignore everything my Mother says and have voted Conservative all my life.
It was the use of the word "stolen" and nothing else in the first reply which annoyed me the most.
So let's all agree it's a fantastic car designed and built by a group of people who have all contributed, at different stages/times, to it's evolution into the fantastic car it is today.
john lloyd said:
but thats the sort of stupid comment that parents tell their children that causes them to become blair-ite yes men. The ability to form and articulate opinions, arguments and criticisms is surely a vital skill for a human being to possess. parp.
Couldn't agree with you more, that's why I ignore everything my Mother says and have voted Conservative all my life.
It was the use of the word "stolen" and nothing else in the first reply which annoyed me the most.
So let's all agree it's a fantastic car designed and built by a group of people who have all contributed, at different stages/times, to it's evolution into the fantastic car it is today.
ps i do like the ww2 bomber paint job. i saw the original post a few months ago whilst 'lurking'..!
Simon is an ex-Opel car designer/stylist, and used to run KAT Designs.
He worked for a time at Coventry as a (good) lecturer on the transport design course.
Whilst lecturing He ran a sideline design business, as many tutors do, and all should.
A number of students were employed by simon for their work experience - some work experience is, as far as I know (ex-Coventry transport design course myself) a requirment of their degree courses.
It was whilst they were working for Simon the car was originally penned.
The first appearence of the car was part under the Coventry uni banner, but all rights to the concept and design were Simons.
Well done Simon! You deserve the award, and the others that should rightly follow. You were a pretty good lecturer too ;-)
I don't know what happened afterwards (I'd left by then) but its taken almost 10 years of constant development to get it from where it was to the manic device it is today.
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