RE: Driven: Ariel Atom 3.5 supercharged
Discussion
BlackPrince said:
Cracking car. Next time Im in the UK, have promised myself a 300 hire, even at a relatively exorbitant £500 but 6.8secs to 100mph is in no way superbike-troubling (they've been doing mid-5s to 100mph for at least a decade now). Its not even 911 Turbo S troubling! (6.5).
I'm sure you get the point though, 6.8s to 100 is mental for a car. Let's see your superbike stick with the atom on a give and take road 
TX.
grenpayne said:
Genuine question, do these understeer badly due to rearward-based weight distribution? I know it was (briefly) mentioned in the article but does it overwhelm the driving experience or is it a case of adjusting your driving to suit?
When you get the A048s warm, no, not a hint of understeer.... however, on the road, I did struggle to keep heat in them on all but the hottest days / on the "hardest" of drives. Basically, you do just need to work the car to get the grip.
356Speedster said:
grenpayne said:
Genuine question, do these understeer badly due to rearward-based weight distribution? I know it was (briefly) mentioned in the article but does it overwhelm the driving experience or is it a case of adjusting your driving to suit?
When you get the A048s warm, no, not a hint of understeer.... however, on the road, I did struggle to keep heat in them on all but the hottest days / on the "hardest" of drives. Basically, you do just need to work the car to get the grip.
BlackPrince said:
Cracking car. Next time Im in the UK, have promised myself a 300 hire, even at a relatively exorbitant £500 but 6.8secs to 100mph is in no way superbike-troubling (they've been doing mid-5s to 100mph for at least a decade now). Its not even 911 Turbo S troubling! (6.5).
That being said, if I lived somewhere with roads that were beyond ruler-straight, I'd have one as a second car in a minute. Dont think there is a more pure driving experience, maybe the BAC Mono or Caterham but thats it really
I think it would trouble a superbike, these are balls out acceration figures done by professional drivers, on the move it isnt all acceleration, it is braking and cornering, even when accelerating, if on the bike, unless it is utterly pinned, something so close will mean you cant got at 8/10ths and saunter away easily, not that that is the point anyway.That being said, if I lived somewhere with roads that were beyond ruler-straight, I'd have one as a second car in a minute. Dont think there is a more pure driving experience, maybe the BAC Mono or Caterham but thats it really
The Jolly Todger said:
The comparison to the 911 midrange in the article is curious, presumably it is much faster than almost all 911s?
Almost?I suspect with that weight and that power it's quicker than all 911s, the 4.0 included - so long as you're talking about speeds where the atom's aerodynamics don't count too much against it.
Any modenr 911 would be faster in a top speed race.
C
RocketRabbit said:
A good car but very expensive for what you get and I don't like the fact that the rear spherical joints are in shear.
I absolutely don't believe that they weigh 520kg either, certainly not in a fashion you can drive them in.
As an ex-owner, for the money it's a bit of a performance bargain. Granted you don't get much in terms of bells & whistles, but there's not many cars which give the same performance / handling for the price.I absolutely don't believe that they weigh 520kg either, certainly not in a fashion you can drive them in.
I do agree tho', I think 520kg was the weight for the Atom 1... not sure what the official Atom 3 or even 3.5 weight is.
Matt UK said:
Like the Atom a lot.. but still couldn't buy one instead of a Caterham.
I think they're different cars. I've got friends with Caterfields and have driven a few myself. They both drive in a very different manner, so I can understand why someone would prefer one over the other.356Speedster said:
RocketRabbit said:
A good car but very expensive for what you get and I don't like the fact that the rear spherical joints are in shear.
I absolutely don't believe that they weigh 520kg either, certainly not in a fashion you can drive them in.
As an ex-owner, for the money it's a bit of a performance bargain. Granted you don't get much in terms of bells & whistles, but there's not many cars which give the same performance / handling for the price.I absolutely don't believe that they weigh 520kg either, certainly not in a fashion you can drive them in.
I do agree tho', I think 520kg was the weight for the Atom 1... not sure what the official Atom 3 or even 3.5 weight is.
Every so often someone joins the Atom Owner's Club forum to tell us how they are going to build an Atom out of spare bits they have lying around the place and it will cost them a tiny amount. The usual outcome is either:
i) We don't hear from them again
or
ii) They post some picture that look like a badly crash damaged Atom that has been repaired by someone who did not have welding goggles so hid behind a fence.
If you discount the R&D / NRE costs of building a low volume car then it can appear not to be good VFM. If you drive one you will think its the best bargain ever......
BigBen said:
Driller said:
Dammit if this was legal in France it would be my main car.
I have convoyed with loads of French registered Atoms, there is a dealer in France who can help.Not driven a 3.5 yet but imagine I will soon.
Ben
They are not allowing any more to be registered
Edited by Driller on Monday 11th February 17:58
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