After three years of development, British manufacturer Ariel has unveiled the Atom 500 V8, a model visually similar to the Atom 3, which the company debuted in January 2009. But if the V8 bears a resemblance to the machine’s previous iterations in appearance, its performance distinguishes it in a powerful way.

Depending on how it is configured, the Ariel Atom V8 brings at least 200 additional horsepower to the table, giving it a power-to-weight ratio that surpasses a Ferrari Enzo and a Bugatti Veyron and puts it on par with a Formula One GP2 car. Capable of sprinting from zero to 60 mph in less than 2.3 seconds and from zero to 100 mph in less than 5.4 seconds, the car is, as Mark Swain, vice president at TMI AutoTech (Ariel’s U.S. distributor), explains, "incredibly quick." To that end, the company is requiring that every V8 customer take a private driving lesson at Virginia International Raceway, where TMI is based.

Ariel will produce only 25 V8 models, and already the company has received orders for 20 of them. Marketed as a track car, the Atom V8 may be street legal depending on the state in which a customer lives, but with a top speed of 200 mph, the V8 is best suited for the track. "It’s not for everyone," says Swain, "but the ones who own one are going to be pleasantly surprised."

Price: $250,000

Contact: Ariel, www.arielatom.com