Ariel Atom Driving Experiences

The Ariel Atom is one of those examples of a mighty oak of a supercar growing from a little acorn. Originally starting life back in the mid 90s as a student project by then Coventry University student Niki Smart known as the LSC (short for Lightweight Sports Car), it soon graduated from its academic roots with a premiere showcase at the British International Motor Show in Birmingham in 1996.

It finally went into production in 2000, and immediately won fans, particularly those who were fond of its evocation of the old classic Lotus motorsports cars - particularly where its shared simplistic design principles were concerned. But don’t let the appearance of this one fool you by any stretch of the imagination.

For whilst it resembles a go-kart more than a supercar, in some cases it outpaces the speed rankings of many of the best, tanking up to 155 mph and accelerating from 0 - 60 mph in a turbocharged 2.8 seconds. It’s certainly not a drive for the faint hearted.

The Ariel Atom has been decorated in numerous awards and honours from the motoring press since it first rolled off the production line. It won Track and Race Cars magazine’s 0-161-0 km/h test in 2005, easily beating off the Ford GT and Porsche 911 Carrera amongst others.

The following year in 2006, at the 0 - 100 mph challenge at the Birmingham NEC for Autocar magazine, the Atom accelerated to 100 mph in 6.8 seconds, and then back to 0 mph in 3.8 seconds - setting a new indoor speed record.