Ariel an atom is 25 years old. It matters more than ever

It is difficult to believe this, but Ariel Ana is 25 years old this year. The non-glass exterior was originally launched from the bottom of the factory in 2000 with a 1.8-liter Quad-cylinder Rover K-Series engine, but it was ATOM 2 that laid the previous 150-year-old motorcycle and motorcycle on the map.

Upon his arrival in 2003, ATOM 2 pairing a half -ton -ton -sliced structure with the Honda Civic engine, a long -term relationship between the small British brand and the Japanese giant of cars. K20a Shahan spread in 2005, and broke three seconds in the zero race to 60 and Destruction of Jeremy Clarkson’s face In this process.

It is not an extended to say to temporarily distort the upper gear provider was transforming to Ariel. In the early YouTube, the pre -society era, the offer was the center of gravity for the being of cars. Suddenly, millions of obsessive all over the world were known for building a workshop from seven very light car employees that do not look like anything else.

“If we have five pounds every time someone said (Clarkson’s face), we will be rich,” I will be a sales manager Ariel bin Calderru-Gun at the Goodwood Festival of speed.

“It was a very courageous step for Simon (Eriel founder) Simon (Sonders) to reach this type of the idea of the car’s car’s design. In fact, you should explain that concept to people at that time, and that was the difficulty in the beginning.” “Once there was a moment (Clarkson) there, the rest was a kind of history.”

In the following years, Ariel made a quarter of the number of employees from seven to 28 years old and doubled the number of models to two – the corn 4 and The Rugged Nomad 2. An atom is more powerful ever-4RR-525 hp power, 1500 lb missile features a largely enhanced Honda CIVIC Type RR

While most ATOM customers are serious mice, ARIEL managed to attract a different crowd through the symbols that are raised and all the terrain.

Ariel’s sales chief told me: “They are the men who do not mind getting out of them, dirty, and the car.” Ariel is proud of the fact that both groups of owners use their cars as intended: “You have two types of different characters from the owners, but in the end, the common factor is that they just want to enjoy.”

Over the years, the company has been involved in strange ideas of the 500-HP 500-hp atom, a power-powered V-8 atom-to the abstract motorcycle, which ended production last December after ten years have passed. Today, each of its car has proven its four -cylinder 2.0 -liter turbocharged, Honda 4C in ATOM 4, and the 2.3 -liter ECOBOST Ford in Nomad 2. When there is bee in your hair or clay on your pants, there is no time to worry about its occurrence.

Ariel is still incredibly small. Calderaro-Gunn told me that the company employs eight technicians who build between 60 and 90 cars annually at its factory in Sumrest, England. This ranges from five to seventeen cars, with production almost equally between ATOM and Nomad. Buyers can participate in the production process as they wish, as some come to visit their cars on the production line and make employees upload pictures based on the ICLoud links. “There is a very personal touch with the customer.”

“When parts are required in dozens instead of hundreds, there are always challenges.”

Although Ariel no longer has problems explaining its products to people or generating the request-the waiting list for Nomad 2 is still currently for two and a half years-a boutique car maker is still challenges. They are: supply chain. Since Ariel’s orders are small and are not kept in hand on hand, delay and changes can disrupt the entire production process.

“When you ask for parts in dozens instead of hundreds, there are always challenges,” Calderaro-Gunn told me. “There will be times when we have built some cars, then we need to submit another request for something, and they changed the part or changed the materials or something, and suddenly the matter is different,” I explained. “When you try to build a fairly narrow time table, someone can really knock.”

So why do you continue to improve the excessive product? According to Calderaro-Gunn, the difference is exactly the point.

He said: “In a world in which everyone walks and to make an automatic, less and less participation with leadership, we still bring you back to that.” “Not everyone wants, we understand it, but for owners who want to be in contact with their car, this is the thing for them. It is very rewarding, and the comments you get from using them.”

“In a world where every person goes, automatic, and less involved in driving, we still bring you back in contact with that.”

It is rare to hear a car maker talking about comments, light weight and communication instead of times of roll and acceleration in an era in which cars are heavier and stronger than ever. Lightweight The lotus champion expands the SUV 5800 pounds, for example, while Porsche only abandoned it The level of 718 sports cars.

For boutique car manufacturers such as Ariel, it is increasingly important to meet the needs of enthusiasts in a world where they see the dominant manufacturers as unbroken and highly dangerous clients. For this reason, Ariel remains this primary element in the enthusiastic community.

There are a lot of options in the seven numbers range to scratch itching an exotic car, such as Gordon Murray Automotive T.50. But there is much less than $ 100,000. The atom begins 4 from 83,750 dollars.

Certainly, do not get air conditioning, and if the rains take place, you are wet. But this is almost unaccounted for a price rate. In addition, if the operation of the heads or the most interesting thing in the Sunday Morning Coffee is considered, it is difficult to think about anything more unique than the atom on the American roads.

What is the next for Ariel? This showed an electric concept “E-Nomad” last year, but Calderaro-Gunn told me that he was still working to reduce costs. “The manufacture of the low size EV is a difficult game,” he said. As for continuing to build lightweight sports cars? “We’ll do that for as long as possible.”

Let’s hope this is a long time yet.