Top Gear - Ariel Atom - BBC

I want to talk about middle aged man, you are thirty five, maybe forty you got a little bit of spare cash

in the bank and you want to buy yourself a big powerful sports bike, coz you weren't allowed to have one when you were 17 and your mom and dad said no.

No there are gonna be a few problems with that.

This is what you have in mind.

The open road, tearing through the country side the wind in your helmet.

You and the machine perfect harmony. It is an appealing concept.

The reality however is somewhat different.

Because, lets be honest, you are middle aged.

So you'll have a bit of a gut, and that will look ridiculous

in leather motor suit. Whats more you are almost certainly going to

crash. So someone, who you perhaps don't like very much,

will end up with your eyes.

Don't worry though, because I think I have a solution.

This is the Atom. From a small summer set company called Arial.

And when I say small -- it only has 7 employees.

What they've created though is stunning.

I think this is one of the most beautiful cars in the world.

Partly because it is so elegant, and partly because it is such a

wonderful piece of engineering.

Using the chassis as a kind of exoskeleton is just inspired.

Prices start at under 20 thousand pounds, and for that you get

indicators, lights a tax disk and ... that about it.

Not only you don't have a windscreen, there isn't even any bodywork.

There are really very few components, and the lovely thing is

that as you drive along you can see them all doing their jobs.

Look! There's the steering, and there's the suspension - it brilliant!

Now at this point you are probably thinking the Atom is a bit

of a laugh, a bit of a gadget, a bit of a toy.

But you'd be wrong.

Very wrong.

You see, the engine is lifted from a Honda Civic type R.

And only for that little extra something, its supercharged.

So it develops 300 bhp.

And because the Atom weighs only 500 kg, this means

you are getting 600 bhp per ton.

And thats more than you get from a Ferrari Enzo.

So, stick that in your sport's exhaust, Mr Kavadzaki.

This car goes like nothing you could possibly imagine.

If you can change gear fast enough it can do nod to 60 in 2.9 s.

The Atom is fast, on an entirely new level.

I have never ever driven anything that accelerates so fast.

Its so quick, it can destroy your entire face.

Its unbelievable speed!

I am an alien.

In the corners its stopped bending my face and used

massive g-forces to tear it off.

The amazing thing is that you never ever miss an ? pad.

Because you can see where's the wheel ends road.

And because there is no weight to pull you out of the line.

You hit every one, every single time.

If anything, this car is even more impressive in the bends

than it is in a straight line.

Anyone who wants to know how a car should behave should buy one of these.

This is driving nirvana.

You can forget anything you've ever driven

anything, there is no car, nothing on four wheels that is as fast as this.

Nothing!

But what about 2 wheels? Is it possible that the atom could be faster

round our track than a motor bike?

Well to find out we've lined it up against the Honda CVR 600RR.

Off the line the bike is a tiny little bit faster.

But on the braking for the first corner, the Atom slipped past

and then it really was a case of good bye Mr. Bond.

Through the bend the bike never stood a chance. And even down the long straight line

mies an hour, it could keep up. By the time we crossed the line the gap had widened

to a massive 4 seconds.

Over the years I've flown F15 fighters and done power slides in airboats and

starved the desert from helicopter gunship.

But the shire excitement this thing is off the scale.

Even so it will be those, who would say that no car,

no matter how fast it is can ever be as exciting as a big bike.

O, please. I don't have to wear a helmet in here!

which means my every ? is full of bees.

And there is so much wild life in my hair. You can ?

And what is more. This is the engine intake in there. Its sucking

and I can feel it - its a pressure in my ear.

It feels that my brain is being sucked out.

Not as exciting as a bike?

Yeah, right!

You know,

I was so ready to disagree.

I think in a normal life I would say rubbish, but I think

you are probably righ!

- No it is better than a bike in so many ways: sitting here and

its not falling over, its faster than a bike - you just saw that, its practical

than a bike, because it has a boot.

- Well, I got that, you have to be kidding.

You are going well but it hasn't got a boot.

It has!

Check it out!

That is a boot!

But seriously, you did get a big ? over there.

You said, "Oh this is the fasted thing on 4 wheels." But its not.

There are track day cars that are quicker than that.

Yes, I don't think this is a track day car.

I don't, because I had this on the road and you can use it on the road,

because the test that we have for our powerboard,

because only road cars can go on this, is weather they can

go over a speed bump. Weather you can use them.

And this can. Well Its definitely a road car.

So it can go on our board, which means.

We gotta give it to the Stig!

And away he goes!

Like a rocket!

God that is so quick!

Now he comes up to the first bend:

no roll, totally flat, through there.

The supercharger whining there as he ? out.

Oh no, no music for him to listen to, because the Atom doesn't have a stereo.

Down to chicago

Look at that! No understeer, no oversteer, no car has ever been that neutral

through there.

Now the real test - the hammer head.

He is running very wide.

Through the followthrough. Will he live.

No doesn't sound like. That's how much confidence this chassis give you.

Right down to the pedal to a bend, ok.

Oh, locking the left front wheel, underbraking,

Comming up to gambon.

Power on there, a little bit of a wiggle, and he is across the line.

Where do you think it came?

- It was fast!

- I don't know.

I would think certainly 1:25 here

- I would say up here.

I would say also

Come on tell us, tell us!

Its going up, its going up!

Its going there!

half a million pound car, twenty nine thousand pound car.

The only think I would just say is obviously if you are

thinking of buying one, I suspect you probably are,

they do an optional big brake pack.

Go for that or you won't be here for the spring.