Ariel Atom2 2007
January 1, 2007
Die-hard motoring enthusiasts have always demanded a bare-bones sports car, and the ariel atom is precisely that concept. It is the high-performance car pared down to its elemental parts. The body comprises little more than a nose cone and wind deflector, while the rest of the structure is visible for all to see. It is a beautiful large-diameter powder-coated tube trellis that mounts Formula-car-type suspension components and a tweaked, owner-installed Honda or GM Ecotec engine. Weighing in at just about 1,100 pounds, the skeletal Atom can accelerate more quickly than most high-performance road cars, while offering handling more like that of a race car than most contemporary sports cars can deliver. A true embodiment of the four-wheel motorcycle, the Atom offers a wind-in-the-face (as well as wind-in-the-chest, and wind-up-the-pant-legs) motoring experience unlike any other.
PRICE: $76,667
ENGINE: Ecotec 2.0-liter supercharged Inline-Four
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual
POWER: 300 hp at 6,600 rpm
TORQUE: 250 ft lbs at 4,200 rpm
CURB WEIGHT: 1,350 pounds
0-60 MPH: 2.82 seconds
TOP SPEED: 155 mph
PROS: Real wind-in-the-face motoring, blistering performance
CONS: Beware of small rocks, tall dogs. Some assembly required
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