DRIVEN: 2006 Ariel Atom

Story by Mark Swain
Photos courtesy Todd McCall / On Track Promotions

"Light weight, supercharged Ecotec engine, superb braking, race-engineered suspension, open cockpit, and you are going to let me drive it? Fantastic!”

The above conversation centered around the spectacularly anticipated Ariel Atom, and I was in heaven. The Atom’s entrance into the Canadian and United States marketplace is definitely a welcome addition, although it’s not new to North American automotive enthusiasts. The car etched its place in history with one five-minute video clip that originated on the U.K. television show BBC Top Gear. This clip went on to greater acclaim on the internet, soon becoming one the most watched automotive videos on the web. If you haven’t watched it yet, please take a moment to now. I’ll wait.



I remember the first time I saw the Top Gear test. The phenomenal results placed the Ariel Atom right at the top of the charts with some of the most reputable supercars. The greatest part of the entire video is watching as the tester Jeremy Clarkson blasts down the Top Gear track with his face literally flapping in the breeze! Now that is fast!

After watching the video several times I was off to the internet to do some research on this new supercar. Pouring over specifications and photos I figured this would be as close as I got to the real thing.

Fast forward a couple years to 2006, and Dave Goadby has started distributing the cars within the Canadian market. I know Goadby very well as I was fortunate enough to drive for him at TMI Racing. At the time we raced an Ultima GTR as well as a Stealth B6, which are both European supercars in their own right. The news that he was going to bring the Ariel into Canada seemed like a natural fit.



The Canadian distributor will be working closely with Brammo Motorsports in the United States. Each Ariel Atom for the North American market will be built at the Brammo Motorsports facility in Oregon. In Canada, one car has already been sold and I imagine many more will hit the streets once a few Transport Canada issues are sifted through. As of yet the Ariel Atom is not road legal up here.

The race track really is the only place to fully test the potential of a vehicle. This being said, we headed to Shannonville Motorsports Park to see if all the hype could be substantiated. I arrived just as the car was being unloaded and rolled into pit lane. It is definitely not hard on the eyes!

Taking a walk around reinforces the fact that this is a quality-built automobile. The attention to detail has created perfection from stunning welds, to the carbon fiber body panels that actually fit! Anyone who has kit car experience will know what I am referring to here…



Now it was time to get behind the wheel and have some fun. The cockpit of the Ariel Atom is very functional. The digital dash displays all the important information including a neat shift lift incorporated in the tachometer needle. Racing seats are mounted on fully adjustable sliders that make it easy to get comfortable; even at my height (6’3”) I had no problem fitting.

Many sports cars are so highly tuned that you need a team of engineers to get them started and ensure you have executed every ritual before you put it in first gear. Not the Ariel Atom – a touch of the start button brings the beast to life at an idle so smooth and quiet you have to look twice to see that it is running.

A final tug on the shoulder straps of the five-point safety harness and I am away heading into turn 1 of the Fabi circuit. The stock GM-sourced drivetrain allows for easy starts with good clutch feel. Bringing the car slowly up to speed I can’t help but smile! The car is just great to drive at any speed. A few slower laps allow me to familiarize myself with the car. A quick look down shows you the tires working, a look left allows you to look through the car and judge the apex curbing, and listening behind allows you to hear the gentle wail of the supercharged Ecotec four-cylinder engine.



A quick trip to the pits after the orientation laps allows us a chance to do a quick once-over and ensure everything mechanically is working ok. It also gave me a chance to discuss some of the handling characteristics with Brent Gates of TMI Racing.

Gates is an accomplished racecar driver in his own right, having won numerous Canada Challenge Cup events as well as racing in the Rolex and Grand Am Cup series. Besides working with the Ariel Atom program, he is also a lead engineer at AIM Autosport, so he knows a thing or two about set-up and handling.

I was told that the car is currently set up with street car alignment specs as well as damping rates. Gates will be working in the future to develop a base race set-up for customers to use. With the mechanical check complete and the tire pressure reset, it was back to the track.

Acceleration is brisk to say the least, shifting at a conservative 6,500 rpm still gives more than enough zip. The car comes alive from 4,500 rpm onwards and keeps pulling all the way to redline. The gear ratios are fairly good, however for the Fabi circuit it would have been nice to have second and third gears closer together.



The car has very quick steering response. Understeer at the turn-in point and the ability to induce oversteer on exit are common handling traits until you are able to get some heat in the tires. Once the tires are warm the car quickly darts to the apex and powers out with ease. Trailing-throttle oversteer can be used to your advantage with the Ariel Atom. A quick lift of the throttle going into the double-apex left-hand corner allows the rear end to gradually rotate and steer the car in the desired direction. Reapplying the throttle liberally quickly stops the rotation.

Braking comes in the form of four piston calipers connected to a manual Tilton pedal assembly. The manual pedal allows for great feel and the ability to modulate braking at the limit. To put it bluntly, the car stops fast! After an hour or so of lapping the brake pedal did become a bit long, but still had great ability to stop the car. Changing to racing brake fluid will cure this problem.

The Ariel Atom is a great car and an ideal choice for avid lapping day enthusiasts! At the end of the day I was still smiling, the car was in one piece, and after many, many laps not one thing had gone wrong. Stunning good looks, drivability, performance, and just plain cool! This is a great recipe for success.

Pricing for the Ariel Atom starts at $41,995 US for the base model, while the full race package tops out at $93,450 US. For more information on the Ariel Atom please check out www.arielatom.com.