Any time you have to hand off the keys to a valued car, it can be a little nerve racking – and with some justification. Just check out this video, which serves as a cautionary tale of sorts. According to its YouTube description, the user, named ShakenBakeRacin, lent his Ariel Atom to his brother and recorded video of him driving the lightweight racer on the north course at VIR – Virginia International Raceway. What was probably
It sounds like the flittering of fresh $100 bills, or at least that's what we assume it sounds like. DDMWorks in South Carolina has released the first 700 conversion kit for the Ariel Atom 2. By strapping both a turbocharger and a supercharger to the Ecotec 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, the company has managed to wring a full 700 horsepower from the mill. O
The Ariel Atom is about the purest street-legal sports car you can buy. Known for its radical tube frame, minimalist bodywork and insane power-to-weight ratio, it is one of the quickest cars on pavement. Owners have also found them to be a natural on a racing circuit.
As much as we love games like Forza and Gran Turismo, these driving simulators are hobbled by one glaring omission: peripheral vision. Driving requires a view from more than just the windshield, and while Forza 4 and Gran Turismo 5 have made steps toward giving players a better a better look at the track around them, the nature of a flat screen is cursed wi
We called the gloriously minimalist Ariel Atom "awesomeness that defies all classification." And that's just how we feel about the outside; Auto Shepherd stopped by Arizona distributor Sector 111 (which, incidentally, will also handle the outrageous BAC Mono) to pore over every detail under the Atom's skin, what little of it there
Flip through the pages of CAR, EVO or Top Gear, and it's obvious the British motoring press has an unhealthy obsession with getting sideways. Not that we can blame them. We enjoy a healthy dab of oppo as much as the next guy, but when the Pistonheads hive-mind starts crying foul about opposite l
Inside Line is at it again, this time with a list of the 100 worst cars ever made. While we were pretty pleased with the website's choices for its 100 best earlier this year, this one is somewhat less satisfying, which is to be expected.
Calling the Ariel Atom a "car" is a bit of a stretch. After all, it comes with no roof, no doors, no windows. So for all intents and purposes, it's basically a motorcycle with four wheels (plus two seats and a steering wheel). You're gonna want to wear a helmet, and we wouldn't recommend riding it in the rain.
Sick and tired of getting pushed around by Ariel Atoms at your local track day? Briggs Automotive Company, who prefer the acronym BAC, are getting ready to produce the Mono. It's a carbon-fiber shell wrapped around a single-passenger steel cell.
Mugen Ariel Atom – Click above for high-res image gallery
Ariel Atom Mugen Special Edition – Click above to enlarge
2010 Ariel Atom 3 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Ariel Atom 3 by Wimmer RS – Click above for image gallery
Ariel Atom time-lapse build – Click above to watch the video after the jump
Autocar drives the Ariel Atom V8 – Click above to watch video after the jump
The Ariel Atom is a lightweight, high-performance sports car which started life as a design project by then-student Nik Smart. Ten years later, the Atom has progressed through three iterations, and there are plans to expand the Atom family with the creation of a motorcycle and the upcoming Ariel Atom 500 V8. The bike is still being developed, but some lucky Atom owners got a sneak pe
