Mighty Atom's not an ant

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

It's called the Atom. It has no doors, no windscreen, no roof, minimal bodywork and outrageous performance. It's street-legal, too - a lightweight two-seater that injects a potent dose of racetrack excitement into everyday motoring.

That's what the Atom's maker, Britain's Ariel Motor Company, is saying anyway. It is building about 50 cars a year, each priced at around $55,000.

"When we started developing the Atom we set out to bring many of the outstanding design attributes of single-seat racing cars within reach of everyday road drivers," said designer Simon Saunders.

"Britain is the home of much Formula One technology and design expertise.

"There's an enormous reservoir of talent and experience available here and we wanted to channel some of that into a high-quality road-legal car that is affordable, safe and tremendous fun to drive."

The Atom's open-plan body comprises a handmade large-diameter and lightweight tubular steel chassis.

Separate composite panels help ensure low body-weight and easy access to components.

The car's suspension is based around a double-wishbone set-up with dampers that can be instantly adjusted for road or track use.

Ariel used wind-tunnel tests to develop downforce and underbody airflow and used computer technology to refine the car's chassis and suspension.

The standard Atom is powered by a 1.8-litre four-cylinder Rover K-series engine producing 103kW (140bhp) and mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

A racing version of the same engine puts out 177kW (240bhp) and gives the Atom a power-to-weight ratio of 373kW (500bhp) a tonne, output which rivals racing motorcycles.

"The motorcycle comparison is very much intended," said Saunders.

"Just about everyone involved in the design is a keen motorcycle rider and we wanted to approach a similarly affordable degree of taut handling, performance and sheer fun in a four-wheel vehicle.

"Many of our customers are motorcyclists who appreciate the improved safety and grip of four wheels and the car's superb cornering ability on ordinary roads that easily outclasses that of two-wheelers."

The Atom is aimed at a pursuit growing in popularity throughout Europe - the track-day session where, for a fee and under strict guidelines on purpose-built circuits, car enthusiasts can explore their vehicles' power and potential.

"The beauty of the Atom is you can keep it at home, drive it to a race track, explore its performance for lap after lap and then drive it home again," said Saunders.

"The bottom line is, quite simply, stunning fun."