2005 Ariel Atom Full Test Video

By Edmunds Video Productions | Published October 14, 2009

3:15 min

There�s really no way to full explain the Ariel Atom - but think of it as a mash-up between a very quick motorcycle and a personal jet pack.

Powered by a supercharged version of the latest Honda K20 from the Japanese-spec Civic Type R, this 2.0-liter engine is good for 375 hp. From a standing start, the Atom will hit 60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds. Measure it with 1 foot of rollout, like at a drag strip and the time drops to 2.6 seconds.

This means the Ariel Atom takes less time to get up to highway speed than your laptop takes to load you favorite web site. The Atom is also the quickest car we ever tested � quicker than any Porsche, any Viper and any Vette.

But it gets even better. The little Atom goes on to further embarrass the big names by punching its way through the quarter-mile in 10.6 seconds at 128.4 mph.

With Alcon four-piston calipers at all four discs, not to mention sticky Toyo tires, braking is also impressive � 60 to 0 happens in just 99.7 feet.

With an open cockpit and a curb weight of just 13 hundred 45 pounds, the Atom is more like a motorcycle than a real car. Thanks to an angry sounding supercharger that�s just inches from your head, you�ll want to wear ear protection too.

Because you can see the front tires from the cockpit, the Atom is remarkably easy to place in a corner. Still, its slalom speed of 70.4 mph and skid pad performance of 0.9g are more on par with cars like the WRX STi.

The Atom�s list of engine mods reads like an engine builder's dream: Carrillo rods, forged pistons � the list goes on. The compression ratio is 11.5:1 and peak boost is 15 psi - - a combination that requires 110-octane race fuel.

And the race car analogy doesn�t end there � the Ariel Atom has no audio system, air conditioning, heater or doors � it doesn�t even have bumpers and, in fact it�s not even a car by U.S. standards.

An owner of an Atom has to register this limited-production car as a �specially constructed vehicle.� Really it�s a very special car that�s built and designed for a very specific purpose � lapping racetracks faster than any pretty much any other street legal car in the world. And that�s really the only explanation of the Ariel Atom that makes any sense.