New Ariel Atom 4 revealed

Renowned lightweight British track attacker, the Ariel Atom, has been reborn as an all-new model.

The 2018 Ariel Atom 4, set to debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, has been bestowed with the engine from the latest Honda Civic Type R, which here produces 239kW and 420Nm. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox.

Ariel director Simon Saunders say the car is a total do-over of the car, and is the biggest change made to the car since its inception.

“The Atom 4 is the biggest change to the car since we originally released it in 1999.

“It really is an all-new car, in fact there are only three parts carried over from the last Atom: the clutch and brake pedals, and the fuel cap.”

In total, the Atom 4 should weigh around the 600kg mark (the Ariel site lists 595kg, though it could be out of date), while its performance indicates a run to 100km/h in under three seconds.

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But there’s even better news for fans of the Atom in Australia – it’s going to be eligible to drive legally on Aussie roads.

Another director at Ariel, Tom Siebert, says the brand is working to make the model as widely available as possible.

“Though we have had a small European presence over the years, there is an enormous demand for our vehicles in this market and elsewhere in the world.

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“British-built, low volume vehicles appeal on many different levels and Type Approval is key to our future commitment to service those markets effectively.

“As well as our existing network of dealers, we will appoint new key agents in various countries, to make sure that as many potential customers have access to Atom 4 as possible.”

Ariel’s listed dealer in Australia is Road and Track Australia, a sports car dealer in western Sydney, NSW.

MOTOR is currently investigating other potential avenues (importers, dealers) for the Atom 4 to come to Australia in other areas.

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