Latest Atom from Ariel Motor Company is the bonkers 4R. Looking very aggressive yet clearly an Atom the new one packs a 400bhp punch courtesy of its Honda 2-litre VTEC engine.
Bold side-pods add to the look but also serve a purpose. The left-hand one has an additional radiator which increases engine colling by 55 per cent, while the right pod features a larger air-to-air intercooler, which is 75 per cent larger than standard.
The Atom 4R has adjustable traction control, three levels of turbo boost, track mode with a video cam, a rear-view camera, mechanical limited slip differential that allows full bore upchanges without using the clutch.
Damping is taken care of by Öhlins TTX36 items with ‘road/track’ or ‘track’ settings. The 680kg Atom 4R is said to have a top speed of 170mph along with 369lb/ft of torque.
Options include a six-speed Quaife sequential gearbox (£13,500), carbon-fibre wheels, and carbon-ceramic discs (£5820).
Price starts at £77,940 although when loaded with all the options that price rockets to £140,000. If you thought other special Atoms like the 3.5R and the ‘Mugen’ were very rapid (they were, trust me) then the 4R takes things to new levels.
In other news, the Somerset company has just received a government grant to develop an electric version of their Nomad model.
More information from www.arielmotor.co.uk ENDS.