The concept of Ariel Atom was a student project at Coventry University. The car was known as (Lightweight Sports Car) LSC. This was an open-wheel car made by the Ariel Motor Company based in Crewkerne, Somerset, England, and under license in North America by TMI Autotech, Inc. the developmental stage took place at the university in 1996 with collective input and funding from various automotive industry members, such as British Steel and TWR. This road-legal high-performance car project was subject to a financial manager and design critic who happens to be the Ariel Motor Company boss and also a senior lecturer, Simon Saunders.
In his words, he described Niki Smart as “The best all-around design student I’ve ever seen.” In October 1996, the Ariel Atom car made its first public appearance at the British International Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham. A review by The Sunday Times in 2005 disclosed that the Atom accelerates from 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) at 2.89 seconds, making it the world’s third-fastest accelerating production car then available after the Bugatti Veyron’s 2.46 seconds and the Ultima GTR at 2.6 seconds.
First-generation – Ariel Atom 1
The first generation of Ariel Atom featured an exoskeleton design which the inspiration was gotten from the air industry. The car featured a nose-cone to improve the aerodynamic and protect the driver from winds as there was no windshield. This design exposed the headlights that were situated between the wheels and the car’s nose. The rear design was not different from the front which still featured the exposed taillights that were directly installed on the chassis. The engine, gearbox, suspension, and, of course, the driver were barely visible as there were no doors and roof.
The car was powered by a 1.8-liter Rover engine with more engines version added such as the Honda Civic Type R K20 unit being the best known, especially with a supercharger on it which gave the Atom a 600 hp/tone ratio and a 0 to 60 mph (0-97 kph) time of just 2.9 seconds.
Second Generation – Ariel Atom 2
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The second generation comes with a few updates from the first though still maintaining the frame. The exterior looks are similar to the Ariel Atom’s side ladder-type exoskeleton. Ariel introduces a pair of transparent bubbles in front of the seats, which diverted the airflow over the occupants. However, they still had to wear a helmet. Behind the open cockpit, a Formula 1-inspired hunchback featured a grille on the upper side for the engine’s intake. A 2.0-liter Honda K-series engine from the European Civic Type-R was introduced to the ARIEL Atom 2 with a supercharged version of the engine resulting in a 100 hp increase when compared to the naturally aspirated unit.
Third generation – Ariel Atom 3
The Atom 3 major upgrade was the chassis featuring a new diagonal side structure that allowed more interior room. The chassis’ width was increased by 60 mm. As against the first generation, the atom 3 came with a Type R Honda-borrowed engine and also with a new suspension. Ariel changed the 2.0-liter iVTEC mounts to improve the NVH level. The powerful unit developed 300 hp and was mated with a 6-speed manual gearbox that sent the power to the rear wheels. Ariel Atom 3 also featured a fly-by-wire throttle, a new gear change, a new fuel system, a new ECU, and a twin outlet exhaust.
The small Atom 3 made 100 kph in 2.8 seconds. Ariel used a simple deflector to reduce the wind pressure on the driver’s head when driving at high speed.
Fourth Generation – Ariel Atom 500
This generation was introduced in February 2008, the Ariel Atom 500 features a 373 kW (500 hp) 3.0 liter John Hartley-designed V8 engine, carbon fiber body panels, and aerofoils, Chromoly aerofoil wishbones, an integrated function steering wheel, Alcon four-piston brake calipers, and Dymag magnesium wheels. The engine weighs 90 kg (198 lb) and is coupled to a SADEV six-speed sequential gearbox to cope with the increased power over the Honda unit. During the development process, the RS performance engine was replaced by a unit prepared by Hartley Enterprises giving the final production version of the 550 kg (1,213 lb) car 678 kW/t (909 bhp/tonne).
Ariel claims this variant will accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than 2.3 seconds, making it the fastest accelerating production car when initially released. Currently, it is the third fastest accelerating, with the Porsche 918 Spyder and the Tesla Model S (Ludicrous package equipped) ahead of it. Its performance was not without notice as the 23 January 2011, saw the Atom 500 set the lap record around the Top Gear test track, with a time of 1:15.1, making it the fastest road-legal car to go around the track a record that stood for just over two years, until the Pagani Huayra completed a lap in 1:13.8 on 27 January 2013.
Fifth Generation – Ariel Atom 3.5R
The Ariel Atom 3.5R is the upgraded version of the Ariel Atom producing 261 kW from a 1,998cc supercharged Honda engine which propels the 550 kg car to 100 km/h in 2.6 seconds and a top speed of 249.45 km/h. In June 2014 a 3.5R was presented to Avon and Somerset Police, the force local to the Crewkerne factory, to support a local motorcycle safety initiative. It has pursuit lights and police livery.
Six Generation – Ariel Atom 3S
The all-new 3S was tailored to the US market. This turbocharged upgrade to the Ariel Atom 3 produces 272 kW and over 407 Nm of torque, propelling it to 100 km/h in under 2.9 seconds.
The car features an all-new cockpit adjustable traction control system, JRi adjustable dampers, and a choice of three transmissions (including a new SADEV 6-speed sequential race-inspired gearbox with paddle shifters), each Ariel Atom 3S is hand-built by TMI AutoTech at their facility at Virginia International Raceway.
Seven Generation – Ariel Atom 4
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The Ariel Atom 4 launched at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2018. It features the latest Honda Type R turbo engine with 239 kW (321 bhp) as standard, a new chassis, suspension, steering, brakes, bodywork with significant aerodynamic improvements, new seating, and instrumentation together with a host of design improvements and changes.
Eight Generation – Wrightspeed X1
The Ariel Atom was unofficially used by Wrightspeed as the base of a one-off prototype called the Wrightspeed X1, which is a proof of concept of the company’s all-electric powertrain.
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