Funsafe at any speed!
May 13, 2005 7:02 PM Subscribe
The Ariel Atom is a pretty nifty car. No doors, no screen, no roof. Just a frame and the bare minimum to get you from 0 to 60mph in 2.9 seconds. This video review of the Atom is worth it just to see the driver's face get distorted a little more than three minutes into it.
Reminds me of the Rocket by Weismann whose owners include Bill Gates and George Harrison (till he passed away of course)
posted by zeoslap at 8:09 PM on May 13, 2005
posted by zeoslap at 8:09 PM on May 13, 2005
I need one of these...
posted by cows of industry at 8:14 PM on May 13, 2005
posted by cows of industry at 8:14 PM on May 13, 2005
So there'd be no place to put any groceries, and my glasses would be so quickly gunked up with splattered bugs that I'd run into a Dodge Caravan on the first trip around the freeway. Trying to use this a real car would be a stupid idea. It's a big step backwards.
posted by davy at 8:29 PM on May 13, 2005
posted by davy at 8:29 PM on May 13, 2005
davy: it's got a trunk under the hood with enough room for a bag of chips minus the air.
posted by furtive at 8:30 PM on May 13, 2005
posted by furtive at 8:30 PM on May 13, 2005
Trying to use this a real car would be a stupid idea.
Er, as would trying to use it AS one. And typing when I'm drowsy.
Put a windscreen and a boot on this Atom thing and I'll take it as a gift though; I bet it gets really nifty petrol mileage.
posted by davy at 8:31 PM on May 13, 2005
Er, as would trying to use it AS one. And typing when I'm drowsy.
Put a windscreen and a boot on this Atom thing and I'll take it as a gift though; I bet it gets really nifty petrol mileage.
posted by davy at 8:31 PM on May 13, 2005
Holy shit, I don't think anybody is planning to use it as a drive-to-work-pick-up-the-kids real car, davy. Geez.
posted by Josh Zhixel at 8:38 PM on May 13, 2005
posted by Josh Zhixel at 8:38 PM on May 13, 2005
It's got a boot. And you could fit a small infant in there.
posted by effwerd at 8:46 PM on May 13, 2005
posted by effwerd at 8:46 PM on May 13, 2005
How much for that unfinished car?
Wow, only $67,200 GBP. Sold!
/$124,262.65 USD
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 9:22 PM on May 13, 2005
Wow, only $67,200 GBP. Sold!
/$124,262.65 USD
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 9:22 PM on May 13, 2005
I have a need. A need for speed.
CD, you can buy a used one for about 15k GBP.
posted by c13 at 9:44 PM on May 13, 2005
CD, you can buy a used one for about 15k GBP.
posted by c13 at 9:44 PM on May 13, 2005
Not enough room for the chicks, man. A car like that is gonna be a chick magnet.
I note it's got a Honda four-banger in it.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:48 PM on May 13, 2005
I note it's got a Honda four-banger in it.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:48 PM on May 13, 2005
c13, a "boot" is British-speak for a "rubber." As in, you know, rubber boots. Silly Cockney rhyming slang and all that.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:49 PM on May 13, 2005
posted by five fresh fish at 9:49 PM on May 13, 2005
CD, you can buy a used one for about 15k GBP
Damn, that's some depreciation!
Oh, and boot == trunk, but f^3's etimology is funnier, in the sexual sense.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 10:06 PM on May 13, 2005
Damn, that's some depreciation!
Oh, and boot == trunk, but f^3's etimology is funnier, in the sexual sense.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 10:06 PM on May 13, 2005
Well, trunk, then. It does kinda look like one when it's flaccid.
Having watched the video, I want one.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:31 PM on May 13, 2005
Having watched the video, I want one.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:31 PM on May 13, 2005
Er, !! I mean, I want an Ariel car, not the elephantile underwear! Nor an actual elephant's trunk, another penis, or even an elephant penis.
Car only, thank you.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:33 PM on May 13, 2005
Car only, thank you.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:33 PM on May 13, 2005
Slamming that little rocket into a wall would be a pretty good way to meet one's maker. "Good" as in "fucking fantastic," that is.
posted by Kwantsar at 12:17 AM on May 14, 2005
posted by Kwantsar at 12:17 AM on May 14, 2005
The Atom is just one of what seems to be a peculiarly British obsession with creating small, relatively cheap, fast cars that handle like the souped-up go-karts they really are.
It's not about power or speed really - a top-end Porsche will have a much higher top speed and a far more powerful engine - it's all about the handling. On cars like this there's no driver aids to muffle to hide the feel of the road and the car. As Ariel say "If it doesn't need it, it hasn't got it."
I have the great joy of owning one of the slightly more luxurious examples of this trend. Perhaps not the safest place to be in an accident, but after five years I still smile every time I'm driving it.
posted by grahamspankee at 4:13 AM on May 14, 2005
It's not about power or speed really - a top-end Porsche will have a much higher top speed and a far more powerful engine - it's all about the handling. On cars like this there's no driver aids to muffle to hide the feel of the road and the car. As Ariel say "If it doesn't need it, it hasn't got it."
I have the great joy of owning one of the slightly more luxurious examples of this trend. Perhaps not the safest place to be in an accident, but after five years I still smile every time I'm driving it.
posted by grahamspankee at 4:13 AM on May 14, 2005
"In a word, gobsmacking!" - a Times Online review by Jeremy Clarkson :)
posted by kaemaril at 5:41 AM on May 14, 2005
posted by kaemaril at 5:41 AM on May 14, 2005
On a similar bend here in Canada (also available in the USA) is the T-Rex...it has very similar dimensions except that there is only one double-wide rear wheel. It requires a motorcycle license (which also means a helmet) but the cockpit seats two side by side. The exoskeleton isn't nearly as nice as the Atom though.
posted by furtive at 8:12 AM on May 14, 2005
posted by furtive at 8:12 AM on May 14, 2005
So, if about 30 of us put in 500 quid each, we can buy a used one. Paint it blue. If some one can provide a garage, you can drive it too. I want to drive that soooo bad.
posted by jmgorman at 8:45 AM on May 14, 2005
posted by jmgorman at 8:45 AM on May 14, 2005
I wonder if the Areil could be imported to Canada, and if it could be licensed here. I have several perfect roads -- top-rated for motorcycles -- in my immediate area, that this little car would love to drive.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:42 AM on May 14, 2005
posted by five fresh fish at 9:42 AM on May 14, 2005
go a buy street legal, vw dune buggy and you get a wind screen, roll-cage, four seats/storage(if you want), the same speed(wheelies) AND the option to go off road for nowhere near that price tag.
whoa, i just noticed the currency conversion! you could buy 5 vw buggies/variety of configs and have much more fun and bang for the buck.
posted by emdog at 11:33 AM on May 14, 2005
whoa, i just noticed the currency conversion! you could buy 5 vw buggies/variety of configs and have much more fun and bang for the buck.
posted by emdog at 11:33 AM on May 14, 2005
Man, that thing has zero protection in a rollover situation. (I mean, it'd be hard to roll, but still).
It looks like it's a cross between an F1-car and a 4 wheel motorcycle.
And check out this thing. An atv powered by the same angine in a subaru wrx...
posted by delmoi at 3:23 PM on May 14, 2005
It looks like it's a cross between an F1-car and a 4 wheel motorcycle.
And check out this thing. An atv powered by the same angine in a subaru wrx...
posted by delmoi at 3:23 PM on May 14, 2005
I guess I'm officially an old fogy, because I looked at that video and didn't think "I need one of those." Instead, I thought "that guy should really be wearing a helmet."
Shoot me now.
posted by crunchland at 3:29 PM on May 14, 2005
Shoot me now.
posted by crunchland at 3:29 PM on May 14, 2005
Actualy the Jeremy Clarkson review that was linked by kaemaril, it's only 24k pounds. Easily aquireable by a member of the middle class.
posted by delmoi at 3:32 PM on May 14, 2005
posted by delmoi at 3:32 PM on May 14, 2005
Man, that thing has zero protection in a rollover situation.
Nope -- note how large the frame around the high-mount center air intake is? There's a reason for that.
If you're wearing a helmet, you'd probably walk away from a rollover -- indeed, because of the wide wheel stance, you'll probably flip a few times, then land on the wheels, if not, the frame around the air intake will hold the car up enough to keep from crushing you.
Without a helmet, you'd still have a good chance of living, but the road rash would suck bad.
You'd need new trousers, mind you, but you'd live.
Really, what is this car? It is "Let's take the Mazda Miata to the extreme endpoint." Whereas the Miata is a barely useful car that does 135 that's a lot of fun to drive, this is a car that does 135 that's incredibly fun to drive -- and is otherwise useless.
Which, hey, is cool by me. Not my cup of tea, but we all have our toys.
posted by eriko at 4:09 PM on May 14, 2005
Nope -- note how large the frame around the high-mount center air intake is? There's a reason for that.
If you're wearing a helmet, you'd probably walk away from a rollover -- indeed, because of the wide wheel stance, you'll probably flip a few times, then land on the wheels, if not, the frame around the air intake will hold the car up enough to keep from crushing you.
Without a helmet, you'd still have a good chance of living, but the road rash would suck bad.
You'd need new trousers, mind you, but you'd live.
Really, what is this car? It is "Let's take the Mazda Miata to the extreme endpoint." Whereas the Miata is a barely useful car that does 135 that's a lot of fun to drive, this is a car that does 135 that's incredibly fun to drive -- and is otherwise useless.
Which, hey, is cool by me. Not my cup of tea, but we all have our toys.
posted by eriko at 4:09 PM on May 14, 2005
Whereas the Miata is a barely useful car that does 135 that's a lot of fun to drive
Define barely.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:20 PM on May 14, 2005
Define barely.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:20 PM on May 14, 2005
It's been a long time since I had a vehicle that put a smile on my face when I drove it. I want one. Now.
posted by tommasz at 6:21 PM on May 14, 2005
posted by tommasz at 6:21 PM on May 14, 2005
the frame around the air intake will hold the car up enough to keep from crushing you
nope; 1st impact is what counts, not just laying on it's 'top'. draw a line from the side rail to the top of the roll bar/intake. helmet or not, you'd sustain serious head trauma and most likely a broken neck.
posted by emdog at 6:33 PM on May 14, 2005
nope; 1st impact is what counts, not just laying on it's 'top'. draw a line from the side rail to the top of the roll bar/intake. helmet or not, you'd sustain serious head trauma and most likely a broken neck.
posted by emdog at 6:33 PM on May 14, 2005
Some of the reviews on this page are glowing to say the least. I want one, and I'm not really into cars that much at all!
'Over the years I've flown F15 fighters, done power slides in airboats, straffed the desert from helicopter gunships, but for sheer excitement this thing is off the scale.'
'My drive in the new Atom 2 was the most thrilling and elating time I have had in a road car in all the years that I have been writing this column. For providing limitless sensations of pure propulsion and of communication with a machine the Atom 2 offers the nearest experience on earth to a bike that has been crossed with a single seater racing car... I may never be happy till I own one.'
posted by uncanny hengeman at 8:14 AM on May 15, 2005
'Over the years I've flown F15 fighters, done power slides in airboats, straffed the desert from helicopter gunships, but for sheer excitement this thing is off the scale.'
'My drive in the new Atom 2 was the most thrilling and elating time I have had in a road car in all the years that I have been writing this column. For providing limitless sensations of pure propulsion and of communication with a machine the Atom 2 offers the nearest experience on earth to a bike that has been crossed with a single seater racing car... I may never be happy till I own one.'
posted by uncanny hengeman at 8:14 AM on May 15, 2005
How about a ThrustSSC?
or barring that, a Vincent Black Shadow?
posted by exlotuseater at 8:14 AM on May 15, 2005
or barring that, a Vincent Black Shadow?
posted by exlotuseater at 8:14 AM on May 15, 2005
Interestingly (crossover to the other recent MeFi car thread) Clarkson has owned a Ferrari F355 Berlinetta, a Merc SL55 and now the new Ford GT.
And yet he wants a supercharged carbon fibre shopping trolley.
There's just no pleasing some people.
posted by longbaugh at 8:36 AM on May 15, 2005
And yet he wants a supercharged carbon fibre shopping trolley.
There's just no pleasing some people.
posted by longbaugh at 8:36 AM on May 15, 2005
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Uh, I gotta have one.
posted by I EAT TAPES at 7:14 PM on May 13, 2005