Ariel Atom Crash on M20

[vikingaero]

Apparently there was a crash today involving 3 Ariel Atoms:

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent_messenger/news/st...

Minor injuries but surely any prang on an Atom is going to result in instant write off as the chassis/spaceframe is so exposed?

[J4CKO]

Really, for this kind of thing, Cern is much better.

[CraigyMc]

vikingaero said:

Apparently there was a crash today involving 3 Ariel Atoms:

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent_messenger/news/st...

Minor injuries but surely any prang on an Atom is going to result in instant write off as the chassis/spaceframe is so exposed?

Nah.

Glad there weren't any serious injuries, as it gives license for a joke about smashing atoms into each other to cause fission

C

[CraigyMc]

J4CKO said:

Really, for this kind of thing, Cern is much better.

You beat me to it by about 10 seconds!

[J4CKO]

CraigyMc said:

J4CKO said:

Really, for this kind of thing, Cern is much better.

You beat me to it by about 10 seconds!

In Quantum terms, thats a lifetime, you Planck

[vikingaero]

J4CKO said:

Really, for this kind of thing, Cern is much better.

LOL @ W4CKO J4CKO.

You should have typed CERN in capitals - /pedant.

[AndyBrew]

J4CKO said:

In Quantum terms, thats a lifetime, you Planck

LOL!! Thread over.

[CraigyMc]

J4CKO said:

CraigyMc said:

J4CKO said:

Really, for this kind of thing, Cern is much better.

You beat me to it by about 10 seconds!

In Quantum terms, thats a lifetime, you Planck

I know. I'm constantly disappointed.

[BigBen]

vikingaero said:

surely any prang on an Atom is going to result in instant write off as the chassis/spaceframe is so exposed?

Not necessarily, the chassis can be repaired after a prang although not necessarily after a motorway crash.

I think they were travelling in a molecule.

[mannerz91]

Me n the misses were on the way to dymchurch n just missed it happening. 2 atoms were mangled together and a man was still sat in the 3rd one pointing the wrong way while fire crew were standing around him didnt seem in any kind of rush though but cant see how you can get stuck inside one of these lol.
5 minutes later and parts of the central barrier were being flung into the road as another car spun out and took someone else out with them literally missed it by inches.

[mannerz91]

Me n the misses were on the way to dymchurch n just missed it happening. 2 atoms were mangled together and a man was still sat in the 3rd one pointing the wrong way while fire crew were standing around him didnt seem in any kind of rush though but cant see how you can get stuck inside one of these lol.
5 minutes later and parts of the central barrier were being flung into the road as another car spun out and took someone else out with them literally missed it by inches.

[trackerjack]

I knew that this had happened and tried to find it on the net, instead I found that there are many crashes involving these cars and it made me think that perhaps the car is being owned by people who dont generally own other kit car types as kit cars are not often involved in crashes.
Have the Civic type R people moved on to Atoms?

[John D.]

trackerjack said:

I knew that this had happened and tried to find it on the net, instead I found that there are many crashes involving these cars and it made me think that perhaps the car is being owned by people who dont generally own other kit car types as kit cars are not often involved in crashes.
Have the Civic type R people moved on to Atoms?

I get the impression the handling can be quite 'interesting'

[CraigyMc]

John D. said:

trackerjack said:

I knew that this had happened and tried to find it on the net, instead I found that there are many crashes involving these cars and it made me think that perhaps the car is being owned by people who dont generally own other kit car types as kit cars are not often involved in crashes.
Have the Civic type R people moved on to Atoms?

I get the impression the handling can be quite 'interesting'

I've driven Atoms at Palmersport a few times and I owned an S1 elise for a few years. The Atom isn't any more difficult than the lotus in my opinion -- but of course both can be (and frequently are) modified.

C

[John D.]

CraigyMc said:

John D. said:

trackerjack said:

I knew that this had happened and tried to find it on the net, instead I found that there are many crashes involving these cars and it made me think that perhaps the car is being owned by people who dont generally own other kit car types as kit cars are not often involved in crashes.
Have the Civic type R people moved on to Atoms?

I get the impression the handling can be quite 'interesting'

I've driven Atoms at Palmersport a few times and I owned an S1 elise for a few years. The Atom isn't any more difficult than the lotus in my opinion -- but of course both can be (and frequently are) modified.

C

Similar weight distribution I suppose.

Supercharged?

[CraigyMc]

John D. said:

CraigyMc said:

John D. said:

trackerjack said:

I knew that this had happened and tried to find it on the net, instead I found that there are many crashes involving these cars and it made me think that perhaps the car is being owned by people who dont generally own other kit car types as kit cars are not often involved in crashes.
Have the Civic type R people moved on to Atoms?

I get the impression the handling can be quite 'interesting'

I've driven Atoms at Palmersport a few times and I owned an S1 elise for a few years. The Atom isn't any more difficult than the lotus in my opinion -- but of course both can be (and frequently are) modified.

C

Similar weight distribution I suppose.

Supercharged?

The Atoms at palmersport are the 245bhp variety, but they run on LPG (like everything at Palmersport) and "only" rev to 7500 (the regular cars rev to 8600) - so I suspect somewhere in the region of 200-220bhp.

I say "only" -- it's still enough. They also have excellent sadev paddleshift gearboxes - you don't need to lift to shift up.

C

[mattman]

Was at palmersport on Thursday and atom was the groups favourite car by far, puts the cater hams in the shade.

[CraigyMc]

mattman said:

Was at palmersport on Thursday and atom was the groups favourite car by far, puts the cater hams in the shade.

*nod*

My point on the Atom was -- at least for the Palmer ones - you can throw them about rather a lot. They aren't all that tricky, as far as I'm concerned.

C

[BigBen]

CraigyMc said:

mattman said:

Was at palmersport on Thursday and atom was the groups favourite car by far, puts the cater hams in the shade.

*nod*

My point on the Atom was -- at least for the Palmer ones - you can throw them about rather a lot. They aren't all that tricky, as far as I'm concerned.

C

They have different handling to most stuff, I guess a 911 is most similar in that they have a very rearward weight bias, this is not really an issue on the M20 but the weight bias and squareish wheelbase does mean they can snap into oversteer very suddenly.

There were other vehicles involved in the crash that got away a lot more lightly, certainly not to do with the 'civic type-R' crowd getting hold of the cars (whoever they may be).

Ben