In chemistry , the atom is the most fundamental building block of thing . Now the automotive world has its atom – a elevator car so pure and simple that some people are call it minimalist art . But the Atom , design by Ariel Motor Company of Great Britain , is not something you enjoy from a aloofness . To rightfully get it , you must climb into the two - nates cockpit , start theengineand plug the accelerator .
Those that have describe the Atom as one of the most amazing automobiles in late account . Sunday Timescolumnist ( and server of BBC ’s " Top Gear " ) Jeremy Clarkson give the Atom five stars and tell , " In terms of sheer thrills , the Atom is well a couple for the Porsche Carrera GT … This car is motoring nirvana . "
But if the Atom wait like a racecar and escape like a racecar , is it really sound to drive one on U.S. highways ? First , let ’s delineate " street - legal . " Street - legal simply mean that a car foregather sure government standards for motor vehicle safety . TheNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA ) establishes and enforces these standards at the Union level . States may impose additional laws or regulation that further govern what vehicle are permit on the road .
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To be street - legal , an Atom must be build as akit car . That means everything , including the engine , is shipped to the owner in pieces . An optional road pack , which includesturn signals , a horn , rear tail end lights and headlamps , is also available . The proprietor assembles the car in his own service department , being sure to come after all appropriate , state - mandated vehicle safety guidelines . Otherwise , the Atom is sold as an off - the - route - only vehicle – not legal on the main road , but utterly comfortable at the local track .
In this clause , we ’ll look at how the Atom solve and why railroad car enthusiasts , including celebrity thrill - seeker Jay Leno , are chomping at the act to have one in their service department .
The Ariel Atom Supercar
Strictly speaking , the Atom is asupercar , a type of sports car made in relatively gloomy numbers and with high - carrying into action features that rival racecars . Even with their exotic look and greatest carrying out , supercars are generally design to be street - legal . But it ’s on the data track , where speed limits and traffic laws do n’t apply , that supercars truly radiate .
almost all supercars accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in under four second gear and can reach top speeds of 180 mph or faster . A lowweight - to - magnate ratio(pounds perhorsepower ) get this sort of carrying into action possible . Remember Newton ’s first law of motion ? It describesinertia– the leaning of an physical object to remain at quietus or an object in motion to rest in movement unless acted upon by an unbalanced force . The more mass an object has , the more inertia it has ; the more it will resist changes in its motion . That ’s why crack - lightweight car have such high speedup . Their lower inactivity makes them easier to move , specially when a 250 - horsepower engine is generating the strength causing the gesture .
So how does the Atom heap up to other supercars when measured against key execution standard ? First , the Atom weighs just a small more than 1,000 pound and comes with an engine that generates up to 300 horsepower . In line , a Lincoln Town Car weighs up to 4,500 pounds and has a 239 - horsepower locomotive , result in a weightiness - to - world power ratio of 19 to 1 . As the tabular array below shows , the maximum weight - to - exponent proportion of the Atom is far below a Town Car ’s – and is among the grim of all supercars .
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The Atom ’s acceleration also put up out . base on its phenomenal zero - to-60 performance , it has win the note of fastest yield car in the reality . The one supercar attribute you wo n’t obtain on the Atom , however , is a six - figure terms rag . It ranges from $ 35,000 to $ 75,000 – a pittance when compared to the McLaren F1 orBugatti Veyron , both of which carry $ 1 million price tags . Even thePorsche Carrera GT , price at $ 440,000 , costs almost six times as much as the Atom .
Although the Atom meets the performance criteria of the supercar class , it does n’t look like a typical sport railway car . That ’s because Formula One racers inspired its applied science . It has a nose cone cell , a gloomy , wide form and an engine mounted behind the gadget driver , who is exposed to the elements because the fomite lacks doors , a windshield or a cap . To help produce downward personnel on the fomite , the Atom has a rearward wing that also serves as an locomotive blanket .
From a aloofness , the Atom even looks a little like a Cooper Formula One racing car . But unlike a true racer , the Atom is n’t confined to the track . It is as at home on the highway – and in the car partisan ’s service department . That ’s because the Atom does n’t require a squad of professional automobile mechanic to keep the car tweaked and tune up . It ’s easy to force , easy to maintain and frugal to own . In the next section , we ’ll see how the Atom pull it off .
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Inside the Atom Engine
Most product vehicle examine to do away with cockpit haphazardness completely . In an Atom , the equipment driver is endanger to the roar of the engine and the aspect - guggle force of the airflow , much like the passenger of amotorcycleor a speedboat . This can be untune , specially for first - metre driver , which is why a helmet is highly recommended .
assure outthe Ariel Atom site to watch a TV of " Top Gear " host Jeremy Clarkson test - drive an Ariel Atom .
Unlike Formula One racers with grotesque V10 engine and systems tuned to adapt to rigorous dominion , the Atom was contrive to be approachable – and drivable – by anyone . It is fundamentally no dissimilar than the Honda Civic parked in your garage . It has :
Let ’s take a closer look at these systems to see what construct the Atom tick .
The EngineIn Europe , the Atom comes standard with Honda ’s four - piston chamber iVTEC locomotive engine – the same locomotive used in Honda Civic and Civic Type - R model . This might seem a bit pedestrian , but the Honda iVTEC , with a shift of 1,998 three-dimensional centimeter and a force output of 220 horsepower ( 280 HP with tuning ) , is considered by many to be the best four - cylinder output locomotive engine in the world .
In North America , the Atom comes standard with a General Motors Ecotec railway locomotive made in Germany . This is the same engine GM uses in the Chevy Cobalt SS and Saturn models , and it does n’t suffer anything in the translation . uncommitted in both 2.2 - l and 2.0 - litre supercharge versions , the Ecotec locomotive engine delivers between 140 and 300 H.P. , depend on the specific package . At the low remnant of the performance spectrum , what Brammo consider its " budget " model , the Atom could keep up with a Porsche 911 Turbo . At the high end of the spectrum , the Ecotec - outfitted Atom just might be the fastest car in the world .
Ariel Atom Chassis and Body
The trunk of the Atom is almost nonexistent . What bodywork there is comes in the form of freestanding composite panel . This reduces system of weights , lour the cost and reserve easy access to the mechanically skillful portion of the vehicle . The Atom ’s designers spend a lot of time in the wind tunnel working out the aeromechanics of the vehicle . Like most racecars , the underbody of the Atom sits low to the ground , decreasing the airflow – and the breeze pressure – under the cable car . At the same fourth dimension , the physical structure shape generates front and rear downforces , which are vertical forces directed downward , vertical to the ground . As the Atom moves through the air , it is both " sucked " down and promote down , increase the traction of the car and giving it superior handling characteristic .
With very little bodywork , the tubular steel chassis is bring out . Indeed , it is visually one of the most stunning and strange features of the Atom , giving the fomite a bony , almost unfinished look . But do n’t be fooled by appearances . good welders handcraft each shape using techniques and materials that control the high degree of calibre and condom . For example , the welder connect the prominent - diam steel tube with bronze andtungsten inert gas ( TIG)welding . In TIG welding , the warmth to melt the metal is generated by a tungsten electrode arc . The dyer’s mignonette region is protect from atmospherical taint by a shielding gas , usually an inert gas like argon . Because the wheeler dealer has groovy ascendency over the weld , TIG welding outcome in secure , high calibre welds .
The CockpitThe Atom ’s composite twin - seat unit accommodates two great grownup , who are cradled inside the tubelike skeletal frame of the flesh . The high side rails of the Atom volunteer substantial shelter for both number one wood and passenger , as do the intact front and rear rollover tubes .
The behind was also designed for safety . It has high-pitched sidelong financial support to keep the number one wood optimally set in the cockpit to keep control at all times . The seat can be align fore and up through five positions to account for drivers of any size . Most significantly , the Atom comes with either four - point or full harnessseatbeltsthat conform to governing safety standards , as well as standards set forth by the FIA , the govern body of the racing world .
Ariel Atom Suspension and Brakes
The Atom boast a double - wishbonesuspensionfront and rear , which consists of a short upper control arm and a longer low control branch that control the wheel to the frame . The ascendance arms maneuver much like a flexible joint , allowing the wheel to move up and down . India rubber bushings at the inboard end of the control coat of arms allow the wheel to swivel . The bushings also serve to steep route shock and reduce noise entering the vehicle . Overall , the double - wishing bone suspension allow for more control over thecamber angleof the wheels . Camber slant describes the degree to which the wheels tilt in and out . It can also be tune up to ensure minimal " prima donna " under brake and minimum " squat " under acceleration .
Koni - manufacture dampers at each wishbone provide extra adjustability . TheKoni operation organization include adjustable mono - subway gas electrical shock absorbers with nine compression and ricochet setting , as well as progressive rate springs that tolerate for modification of vehicle drive height and eye of gravity . Without removing the abeyance , drive height can be adjusted from one to almost two inches , pull in it soft to prepare the Atom for any road surface or driving stipulation .
The brake system of the Atom offers another opportunity to mulct - melodic phrase the drive experience . Brake bias , which look up to how the total braking power is distributed between the front and rearward tyre , is wholly adjustable front and rearward via a Tilton balance bar . A balance bar , or a bias streak , divides the force from the brake pedal to the Atom ’s two professional cylinder , making sure a eminent braking power is applied to the tires that postulate it the most . Power brakes are not used because of the supernumerary exercising weight they would add to the vehicle .
Next , we ’ll take a expression at the origin of the Atom .
Atom Origins
The mastermind of the Atom is Simon Saunders , a British motorcar designer who has conceived motorcycles for Van Veen and Norton and cars for General Motors , Aston Martin and Porsche . After becoming Director of Ariel Motor Company , Saunders set out to design a fomite that afforded drivers both the charge of a motorcycle and the safety of a machine . The mathematical product of that delegation is the Atom , a fomite that many have described as part cat valium , part racecar and part mellow - performance bike .
Ariel Motor Company is much good known for its motorcycle . base in 1898 , Ariel is one of the oldest names in British motoring history . It started fabricate motorcycles in 1902 and bring about both 350cc and 500cc bikes until the later 1950s . A well - known Ariel model was the VH500 Red Hunter , a two - Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler that could summon 26 HP and had a top pep pill of more than 80 mph .
Ariel ’s most famous bike , however , was the Square Four , a modeling the companionship introduced in 1937 . In the other 24-hour interval of its output , the Square Four locomotive engine had displacements ranging from 500cc to 600cc . finally the orotund engine top out at 997cc , put out 45 HP and rocketed the bike to more than 100 mph . Edward Turner designed the Square Four ’s locomotive before move on to Triumph Motorcycles , where he helped oversee the launch of the Triumph Tiger and the Speed Twin in 1937 and 1938 severally .
The Square Four was democratic , but it was heavy and expensive . After WWII , Ariel redesigned the motorcycle with a lighter aluminium engine and telescope front forks and rear suspension . Despite the invention , the Square Four eventually succumbed to competitive pressure level , and the last model come out in 1958 .
Although best known for its motorcycles , Ariel Motor Company also produce various motorcar , trikes , quads , delivery and military vehicle over the years . In the early 1900s , the companionship experiment with a then - remarkable four - cylinder car known as the Aero - Simplex . The water - cooled Aero - Simplex was inspired by four - piston chamber designs from Mercedes and hand over up to 30 horsepower . Ariel also experiment with six - cylinder models that could produce up to 60 horsepower , but none became enormously popular . After 1918 , the company made one last attempt to capitalize on the small - car mart with the Ariel Nine . When the original Atom was launched in 2000 , it was the first vehicle to bear the Ariel name in 27 old age .
The Atom in America
In the United States , the Atom is available throughBrammo Motorsports , an Ashland , Oregon - found fellowship that specializes in manufacture niche yield vehicles for the North American marketplace . Brammo was founded in 2002 and currently employs 27 the great unwashed . Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher became interested in the Atom after take the car for a test drive . When Ariel started look for an American monger , Bramscher felt that Brammo was a well match . After assess several companies , Ariel agreed and entered into a licensing understanding with Brammo .
As mentioned before , Brammo ’s version of the Atom specifies a General Motors Ecotec railway locomotive rather of the Honda iVTEC specified by Ariel . Otherwise , Brammo adheres strictly to the vision of Simon Saunders , handcraft each car one at a sentence . Brammo has six vehicle already progress , with 50 on order . Ten likely customer take flight in for test - drive each month . In five long time , Brammo plan to be make a thousand cars – and $ 80 million – per year .
Brammo ’s dream do n’t end with the Atom , either . Lead Designer Brian Wismann , a veteran of Daytona racecar body design , is hard at study on Brammo ’s own line of specialty vehicles . One of these is the Brammo Rogue GT , the first V12 American supercar designed and built in the U.S. for the world . The company also has programme for a V8 supercar , priced under $ 200,000 , that will be market under the name Ronin GT , as well as an environmentally friendly electric vehicle and an alternative - fuel racecar that pass on liquid propane or atomic number 1 .
So will we see speck zipping by us on the interstate or give back a cloud of dust as it barrels down a state road ? It ’s not likely – the Atom will probably be a rare sight on the highway . After all , it is only street - effectual if assembled as a kit vehicle , and there are only a few show Atoms in the United States . As a turnkey vehicle , the Atom is sold as off - road - only for racetrack - Clarence Shepard Day Jr. use . And it ’s there – on America ’s tracks – that the Atom will continue to break records and leave jaws hanging on the ground .
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CAD illustration of the engine
CAD illustration of the engine
CAD illustration of the engine
Building an Ariel Atom
Building an Ariel Atom
Building an Ariel Atom
A close-up of the Atom’s cockpit.
CAD illustration of the engine, gearbox, suspension and braking systems
CAD illustration of the engine, gearbox, suspension and braking systems
CAD illustration of the engine, gearbox, suspension and braking systems
See moreexotic car pictures.
CAD illustration of the engine
Building an Ariel Atom
A close-up of the Atom’s cockpit.
CAD illustration of the engine, gearbox, suspension and braking systems
