If you believed that the Atom V8 500 was the best Ariel could do, well you were wrong. The company is preparing a limited edition Atom Mugen that has made its world debut at the UK’s Autosport Show in January 2011. The model was built as a celebration of the Atom’s 10th anniversary and will be limited to only 10 units. Each of these units will feature different livery and will have a numbered plate signed by Ariel and Mugen.
The future Atom Mugen, as you might have guessed, will be developed in cooperation with the Japanese tuner, Mugen, who is no stranger when it comes to developing tuning packages for a number of Honda models.
Together, the two companies were able to build an Ariel Atom that’s so deliciously powerful, 10 models feels like it’s not enough to satiate the craving of Atom fans all over the world.
Details for the 2012 Ariel Atom Mugen after the jump
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The Ariel Atom 3 is no doubt a very powerful car, so it’s actually a little surprising that tuners everywhere haven’t jumped at the chance to renovate the sports car. Sure, last week we brought the Areal Atom, which was a completely "new" car inspired by the original Ariel Atom (note the play on names), but we still haven’t seen a tuning kit made especially for the Atom. Of course, German tuner Wimmer RS is about to change all of that.
With a total weight of 469 kilos and a two-liter four-cylinder Honda engine with 300 ponies kicking under the hood, the Atom was bound to get some sort of power boost eventually. Winner RS has done that with an engine optimization software, a modified supercharger, fuel pump conversion, and sport exhaust system done together with Rennkat. These new tweaks allow the Atom to jump from 300hp to 340hp and 282 Nm of torque without even blinking an eye. The increase in power allows the Atom to obtain a sprint from 0-60mph in an incredible 2.8 seconds and from 0 to 124 mph in 7.1 seconds.
In order to take in all of that power - standard or modified -, the Atom is equipped with unique internal shock absorbers, a pushrod suspension, and damper struts. All of those items combined with a tube frame replacing the body allows the vehicle to have rigidity, low weight, and maximum safety for corner speeds.
With performance and handling taken care of, Wimmer RS took the next step to make sure the modified Atom sounded as good as it drove. This was done by adding an exhaust system with optimized back pressure.
Press release after the jump.
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No, your eyes are not deceiving you! Ariel have indeed gone completely bonkers and fitted a bespoke V8 engine to the already madly fast, and madly exciting Ariel Atom. The Atom is a refined vehicle that actually works on the road, allowing it to represent the best track day experience. This new V8 version takes crazy to new heights thanks to minimal weight and 500HP – that may not sound like much, but when you consider that the car weighs as much as a postage stamp on a diet, things start to get very extreme indeed.
The Ariel Atom is sort of like a lean, mean, sophisticated bare knuckle boxer that has mastered all forms of martial arts. Lean and mean because of its no frills, barely-there construction; sophisticated because it’s clever; and bare knuckled because it’s raw and uncensored. Something like a Gallardo Superleggera, which can be described in the same context as a WWE Superstar – all drama, flash and very capable - can still be considered slightly under talented in comparison to the Atom. As powerful, but three times heavier than this new Atom V8, anything in the Gallardo’s league, and in fact higher, would flounder against it on pretty much any given stretch of road or track.
Production for this amazing machine will be limited to just 25 units - each getting a commemorative plaque and unique engine to match.
Hit the jump for the full details on the Ariel Atom V8 500
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We warned you it was coming, the light weight sports car builder, Ariel, has just released a ridiculously powerful version of their open cockpit two-seater, the Atom 500. Although the V8 is quite small, displacing only 2.4 Liters, the blown five valves per cylinder design and 10,000 RPM capabilities means that there is more than 500 HP on tap. The 6 speed Sadev sequential gearbox will get a lot of use in the Atom 500, it features flatshift capabilities, paddle shifters as well as launch control.
Like the old Pirelli slogan says: “power is nothing without control,” so in order to get the Atom 500 to stick to the road, the vehicle’s engineers had to fit and F1 inspired aerofoil to the nose as well as a GT sized rear wing. Stopping power is provided by a foursome of Alcon four-piston brake calipers housed inside of lightweight Dymag magnesium wheels.
The power to weight ratio of the Atom 500 is almost unheard of for a road car, over 1000 HP per ton. If you thought the old Atom was absolutely amazing, the 500 should be nothing short of insanity.
Press release after the jump.
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The Ariel Atom reached it’s third generation. Quite similar with the previous Atom, the new model features numerous changes.
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