500Hp V8 Ariel Atom Announced

Out with the anemic 300hp four cylinder and in with the 500hp V8

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=17680

I expect this car to kill at least one member of top gear

 

I think the Ultima has something to worry about.

 

All I can really say is:

Holy Crap.

 

RS is the company that is putting that SAME (i think) motor into the new caterham! In any case i've been trying to find their website but to no avail. Anyone care to help me out? Google hasn't been very helpful on this subject.

 

To bad it's ugly.


It's biggest issue will be traction. Alot of power and very little weight and what looks like narrow tires is not a good combonation.

 

So this will be capable of time travel yes?

500hp...that would be 'crap your pants' type fun.

 

I need this car as I am always running late for work.

 

I'd love to have one!
My guess is one week after I bought one, the local newspaper would carry an article that started with this: "Although his body had to be identified by dna, the driver of the remnants of this unrecognisable vehicle was a local man........."

 

Ugly? It's a street legal F1

 

LOL...and the only thing recognizeable as human was a very wide smile.

 

Topgear's article:
http://www.topgear.com/content/news/stories/2662/


Seems like it will be one hell of an adrenalin rush! But one must ask what purpose does such an impractical car serve?? Its basically only useful on the track so why not just buy a real race car?
I would like to see someone make a beautiful, light, sound deadening free, carbon fiber body for it, then it would really be irresistible.

 

I have been talking to Russel about this motor. It uses Suzuki Hyabusa heads and a machined billet block. 400 HP in standard tune but can go higher with typical motorbike mods. It wieghs less than 200 lbs. Price is around $30,000 for the motor but they are looking to license manufacturing and bring the cost down. They have built 2 or 3 so far. Sorry I can't find the link. I will try and get it tomorrow. very nice design fo us kit car guys.
edited

Here is the link to a kit car that has one of the motors in it. I think there is alink to the motor site on this site.

http://www.dpcars.net/

 

Wow, Scarey

 

Is your avatar a picture of what that would look like? I think so!

 

I doubt it.

The Atom is aerodynamically cluttered, it seems to me.

It may outaccelerate and will certainly outhandle the Ultimate Aero SST, but I am reasonably confident it will not achieve a higher maximum speed.

 

He said "Ultima"
http://www.ultimasports.co.uk/

 

Radical Powertec V8? http://www.powertecracing.com/

 

I like the suzuki aproach. Curious of pricing. 30k for the motor in the Arial seems quite steep.



Darrell.

 

It does look like a great little (200 lbs) engine. And it has a flat plane crank so it sounds like a Ferrari. The price is just a reflection of the limited production, but
what a light, fast little car it will be.

 

Not sure, but I think this version of the Atom is intended to have the same engine as the new Caterham Levante has, known as the RST V8: http://www.rsperformance.co.uk. The Levante has 500 hp and weighs 530 kg, a planned production run of eight cars, and the first one debuted at the 2008 Autosport show in the UK, I believe.

 

So beautiful!!

Its at the top of my "wanted cars" list!

 

This thing should out-corner an Elise, out-accelerate a Veyron, and out-kill an Enzo. I guess it's about time for a new stig. I think stig 1.3 should wear a british racing green jump suit.

 

just got word cost is to be around $200k.

I was surprised....but at the same time I think it will be well worth it.