"Faster than a Carrera GT"

[Chris Benbow]

Saw this car on "Top Gear" tonight. Wickedly fast yet simple design that costs less than $40K.
http://www.arielatom.com/04/frames.htm

Check out the website and then you HAVE to see the video clip from the show. It's a large file but worth the wait!!!

http://www.openwheelers.com.au/videos/T ... egment.mpg

[ajackson]

I hate to say it, but there are lots of track day cars faster than a carrera gt. Tom Tweed's lotus 7 clone was wickedly fast for example, not sure how much those run for though. I have to admit they do look very cool though.

[ttweed]

I looked into the Ariel Atom before I bought my Lotus 7 clone and passed on it. WIth shipping from England, it would be closer to $50K with an interesting engine choice. I don't think it would ever be able to be street legal in CA, so it is essentially a track toy. For that kind of money, I would buy a Stohr DSR and go a lot faster for less.



TT
ps-my WCM S2K just sold for $30K, as a datapoint. A new one is $38K. I am into my old LeGrand DSR for less than half that and having more fun with it, although it, too, will never be street legal.

[MikeD]

Oh yeah. Think Top Gear pitted one of these against a Radical last year. Radical won, if I remember correctly. I believe both are street legal.... in England.

[MikeD]

Tom, wasn't that car blue or something a while ago? I like the color scheme you have on it now. 'Course Silver with Black accents would have been better, but I may be a pit partial .

[ttweed]

Tom, wasn't that car blue or something a while ago? I like the color scheme you have on it now. 'Course Silver with Black accents would have been better, but I may be a pit partial .

Mike-
Unfortunately, that pic is of the 2005 Stohr DSR which is at the SCCA Runoffs right now at Mid-Ohio. Mark Jaremko qualified it at 1:21.5, which is about what the $500K Daytona Prototypes run there.

My DSR is only 27 years older than that one, a lot slower (especially the driver), and it's Kawasaki green.



TT

[MikeD]

OK. Now that i see them both together I'm not sure how I got them confused. Doh!!

[Chris Benbow]

Tom,
I checked out the Stohr and it has 780 lbs pushed by 180 HP (4.3 lbs/hp). The Atom has 1100 lbs pushed by a supercharged Honda VTEC at 300 HP (3.6 lbs/hp). I does 0-60 in less than 3 sec. The aero package on the Stohr is awesome but in a straight line the Atom looks faster.
If you haven't looked at the video you really should. Not to see how fast the car is but how entertaining the driver is. When he's accelerating the car and the wind is distorting his face like he's in one of those G machines. It's hilarious.

[Tim Comeau]

Holy Crap! That thing IS super fast!

[ttweed]

If you haven't looked at the video you really should.

Oh yeah, I saw that video quite awhile ago. The supercharged engine is a new option on the Atom, the stock motor is 220HP. It is definitely quick 0-60, even 0-100, but it's lacking in the aero package, as you say, and the tire setup looks less than ideal to me for that much power-- stock 6" wheels with 185 tires? The biggest wheel option is 7 & 8".

With the 300HP engine option, plus shipping from the UK, and a few of the other tasty options, and you're looking at $75-90K USD for one, and it'll never be street legal here. Why not just go with the purpose-built race car? You could have a Formula Atlantic that would turn 1:10 at Willow for that kind of money.

If you want street legal speed at less cost, I don't think you could beat the Tiger Z100-WR: 0-60 in 2.8 seconds, 0-100 in 6.3, on road-legal tires. See http://www.motobykz.co.uk/Bike_tests/Tiger_Z100.htm

TT

[David Ray]

It must be nice (other than taxes) to be in England and have all these choices available for the street and track. This is "free enterprise" at it's finest.

Seven guys and you get the Atom....wow . Kinda makes you think we put a little bit too much time into surfboard shaping and surfing....naw! The best ride is STILL better than a CGT (and practically free).