2012 Ariel Atom V8 500
12-04-10, 09:57 AM
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2012 Ariel Atom V8 500
No, your eyes are not deceiving you! Ariel have indeed gone completely bonkers and fitted a bespoke V8 engine to the already madly fast, and madly exciting Ariel Atom. The Atom is a refined vehicle that actually works on the road, allowing it to represent the best track day experience. This new V8 version takes crazy to new heights thanks to minimal weight and 500HP – that may not sound like much, but when you consider that the car weighs as much as a postage stamp on a diet, things start to get very extreme indeed.
The Ariel Atom is sort of like a lean, mean, sophisticated bare knuckle boxer that has mastered all forms of martial arts. Lean and mean because of its no frills, barely-there construction; sophisticated because it’s clever; and bare knuckled because it’s raw and uncensored. Something like a Gallardo Superleggera, which can be described in the same context as a WWE Superstar – all drama, flash and very capable - can still be considered slightly under talented in comparison to the Atom. As powerful, but three times heavier than this new Atom V8, anything in the Gallardo’s league, and in fact higher, would flounder against it on pretty much any given stretch of road or track.
Production for this amazing machine will be limited to just 25 units - each getting a commemorative plaque and unique engine to match.
Hit the jump for the full details on the Ariel Atom V8 500
On to the most exciting part of the new car – the engine. And what an engine it is! Apart from how compact and ultra-lightweight it is, the Hartley-built 3.0 liter unit is also efficient and a masterpiece of engineering. The powerplant is specially made for Ariel and features design influence from their top engineer, Steve Alford, so much so that it actually bears their name. The goal was to take the 2.4 liter original version and make it more usable on the road with a near-flat torque curve that makes in-gear acceleration brutal, which one can be assured, is no easy feat. And they have succeeded – brilliantly.
The V8 is actually derived from mating two Suzuki Hayabusa engines, featuring specifications usually reserved for the track rather than the road. They include a flat-plane crank, dry sump lubrication, forged internals, individual throttle bodies with sequential injection, and a 10,500RPM rev limit! All of this translates into 500HP and 284lbft at 7750RPM – staggering considering the size of the thing.
The exhaust is superbly built and is a sight to behold - it also has ceramic coating to increase efficiency and minimize heat. The boys at Ariel tried using the RST V8 from the Caterham Levante, but found it a bit too aggressive in the power delivery – a symptom that usually plagues high horsepower turbo engines. That made it a handful during every day driving conditions – something that Ariel was deliberately trying to avoid. Power is transferred to the road via a six speed sequential Sadev gearbox – the very same found in touring cars – and owners can choose the ratios they require, depending on their needs. Ariel says that with the longer ratios fitted, 200mph would be no problem at all. With the Atom being exposed to the elements at that sort of speeds, this is the closest you can get to a single seater race car short of actually getting into something like a GP2 racer! Like all sequential boxes these days, changing gear is a effortless exercise via a paddles behind the steering wheel. The French Sadev unit makes use of an airshift system which makes up-changes in 40 milliseconds and down-changes in 50 milliseconds – both faster than you can blink. The ability to upshift without lifting the throttle coupled with 500HP make for absolute and unrelenting acceleration, which brings us to the performance.
full article here
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/ariel/2...-ar100592.html
The Ariel Atom is sort of like a lean, mean, sophisticated bare knuckle boxer that has mastered all forms of martial arts. Lean and mean because of its no frills, barely-there construction; sophisticated because it’s clever; and bare knuckled because it’s raw and uncensored. Something like a Gallardo Superleggera, which can be described in the same context as a WWE Superstar – all drama, flash and very capable - can still be considered slightly under talented in comparison to the Atom. As powerful, but three times heavier than this new Atom V8, anything in the Gallardo’s league, and in fact higher, would flounder against it on pretty much any given stretch of road or track.
Production for this amazing machine will be limited to just 25 units - each getting a commemorative plaque and unique engine to match.
Hit the jump for the full details on the Ariel Atom V8 500
On to the most exciting part of the new car – the engine. And what an engine it is! Apart from how compact and ultra-lightweight it is, the Hartley-built 3.0 liter unit is also efficient and a masterpiece of engineering. The powerplant is specially made for Ariel and features design influence from their top engineer, Steve Alford, so much so that it actually bears their name. The goal was to take the 2.4 liter original version and make it more usable on the road with a near-flat torque curve that makes in-gear acceleration brutal, which one can be assured, is no easy feat. And they have succeeded – brilliantly.
The V8 is actually derived from mating two Suzuki Hayabusa engines, featuring specifications usually reserved for the track rather than the road. They include a flat-plane crank, dry sump lubrication, forged internals, individual throttle bodies with sequential injection, and a 10,500RPM rev limit! All of this translates into 500HP and 284lbft at 7750RPM – staggering considering the size of the thing.
The exhaust is superbly built and is a sight to behold - it also has ceramic coating to increase efficiency and minimize heat. The boys at Ariel tried using the RST V8 from the Caterham Levante, but found it a bit too aggressive in the power delivery – a symptom that usually plagues high horsepower turbo engines. That made it a handful during every day driving conditions – something that Ariel was deliberately trying to avoid. Power is transferred to the road via a six speed sequential Sadev gearbox – the very same found in touring cars – and owners can choose the ratios they require, depending on their needs. Ariel says that with the longer ratios fitted, 200mph would be no problem at all. With the Atom being exposed to the elements at that sort of speeds, this is the closest you can get to a single seater race car short of actually getting into something like a GP2 racer! Like all sequential boxes these days, changing gear is a effortless exercise via a paddles behind the steering wheel. The French Sadev unit makes use of an airshift system which makes up-changes in 40 milliseconds and down-changes in 50 milliseconds – both faster than you can blink. The ability to upshift without lifting the throttle coupled with 500HP make for absolute and unrelenting acceleration, which brings us to the performance.
full article here
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/ariel/2...-ar100592.html
12-04-10, 10:57 AM
#2
This would be a nice upgrade from my shifter go-kart, except I heard this one could cost up to $160k -_-... Aren't the normal atoms like $40k? I guess the limited production induces the steep premium.
12-04-10, 06:31 PM
#6
Lexus Test Driver
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12-05-10, 08:45 PM
#10
Jeremy Clarkson reviewed this in his DVD the Italian Job... so funny:
This car comes with a windshield to deflect the wind... but you don't want that do you... you want to see what a V8 will do to my face thats why you bought this DVD...
lol
This car comes with a windshield to deflect the wind... but you don't want that do you... you want to see what a V8 will do to my face thats why you bought this DVD...
lol
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