Wednesday 11th November 2009

Ariel Atom 500 Will Cost £120,000

Ultimate lightweight to pack heavyweight (but on-target) price tag

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Ariel has told Autocar that its upcoming V8-powered Atom 500 will cost £120,000.

Ariel boss Simon Saunders previously told PH that the company aimed to keep the list price below £135k and, as the car reaches the final stages of development and testing, Ariel appears to have achieved its goal.

While this price still seems pretty astronomical for something so tiny, the Atom 500 will have around 1000bhp per ton available with the aid of its hand-assembled V8, and each individual car is expected to take 4-6 weeks to build.

The cost also covers the upgraded gearbox, brakes, suspension and aerodynamic parts needed to help cope with the massive power hike, and Saunders has previously suggested to PH that a performance handling day will be included in the pricetag to give a similar 'performance upgrade' to the new owner.

Evidently at least 19 people think it's worth the money, as Autocar also reports that only 6 of the 25 build slots for the Atom 500 are still available, ahead of production in the spring.

[Insight]

You could argue that this car is the pinnicle of engineering that the old MacLaren F1 was.

In which case, it's worth every penny.