Can you believe the Ariel Atom's been around since 2000? No, us neither. But that's partly because the Atom's big break - yes, that wobbly faced Clarkson feature on Top Gear, which really introduced it to the public at large - didn't come until the end of 2004, nearly five years later.
By that time, power had switched from the original Rover K-Series to the Honda K20A we all associate with Ariel's mad, skeletal tearaway. This Atom 2, as it's known, is therefore rather easier to find than the original, which is fortunate as it's also far more desirable.
But probably the most sensible buy at the moment is the K20Z-engined Atom 3. There's very little difference between the prices of the two generations at present, with prices for the 3 now dipping below the £30,000 mark, as evidenced by this 2008 example with 4,800 miles on the clock. But the 3 has that newer engine, and a revised chassis with a superb blend of ride, balance and progression, not to mention a host of other tweaks that make it by far the more desirable car.
Trade up to a supercharged model, and you'll have to pay a little more, though prices are still pretty reasonable -
this 2009
with 12K on the clock is in the classifieds at £36,000.
If you've a little more to spend, there's always the latest Atom 3.5, which wasn't given the distinction of a whole new number because it received yet more chassis tweaks, but without a newer engine. These were only introduced very recently, so prices are still high - reckon on paying just shy of £40,000, even for a base model.
If you really fancy pushing the boat out, mind, there's always the V8. We haven't seen one for sale recently so it's hard to judge how much they're going for, but with a £120,000-plus list price, so few in existence and that mythos surrounding the model, frankly, the sky's the limit.