Heisenberg
Tarmac Traveler
The Ariel Atom's 'mucky brother' is a two-seat, 700kg off-roader with about 200bhp, and will be seen for the first time at the Autosport show in January
Ariel is poised to launch a high-performance, all-terrain stablemate for the Atom. Called the Nomad, it is designed to bridge the gap between the existing track-focused sports car and a pure 4x4 off-roader.
The Nomad will be unveiled at the Autosport show, starting on 9 January, and is described by Ariel boss Simon Saunders as “Atom’s mucky brother”. It will use the traditional Atom mechanical layout and play on its key virtues, such as compactness, strength and a high power-to-weight ratio.
But the Nomad will also have greatly enhanced ground clearance, gumball tyres, long-travel suspension and new, very comprehensive rollover protection - to make a car ideal for recreational driving on forest tracks and challenging off-road courses, or for competition in rallies for two-wheel-drive cars.
“We’ve done quite a bit of testing on forest tracks and rally stages,” said Saunders’ son Henry, who has done most of the development and testing, “and results have been extremely encouraging. We know the car is quick and stable. But it’s still a two-wheel-drive vehicle. We’re looking forward to discovering how it performs in genuine off-road conditions - in mud or crawling over rocks - compared with a traditional 4x4.”
The Nomad uses a modified version of the Atom’s ladder frame chassis, still bronze-welded by hand. There are chassis reinforcements and the car gets a comprehensive rollover structure that provides A-pillars for the standard windscreen.
Like the Atom’s, the suspension is wide-tracked and all-independent, but the hardware and geometry are new because the bigger, longer-travel suspension units need a bulkier outboard layout. However, running gear such as the instruments, switchgear, pedal box and wiring are familiar from the Atom.
There will be many wheel/tyre combinations when the car hits production next year, but prototypes have been tested on 15-inch alloys wearing 235/70 tyres. Ariel’s testers note a vast difference in grip depending on tyre spec. The engine is a four-cylinder Honda unit mounted transversely behind the two occupants, as in the Atom, but it’s not the 2.0-litre unit from the Civic Type R.
Capacity is understood to be about 2.4 litres, with about 200bhp plus plenty of low-end torque. The standard gearbox is Honda’s familiar manual six-speeder, and the Nomad will have a standard mechanical limited-slip differential, with more sophisticated set-ups available on the options list.
“The car should still be very quick on road,” said Henry Siebert-Saunders. “Not quite as quick as an Atom, maybe, but it will be able to do many things an Atom never could.” The Nomad is the first new-generation Ariel to have proper bodywork, although it’s far from being a fully enclosed car.
The lower tub and suspension covers will be black impact-absorbing composite, but owners will be able to personalise their cars by choosing their own colours for the wheels, frame, bonnet and engine cover.
The Atom’s low weight, a key to its supercar performance, is largely preserved in the Nomad. Ariel is still working on the final specification, but the Nomad is expected to weigh about 700kg, ready for the road, which is about 150kg more than a basic Atom but less than half the weight of a traditional off-roader. Thus, the Nomad should have about four times the power-to-weight ratio of a Land Rover Defender.
Ariel won’t reveal final spec and pricing yet, but an entry-level Nomad will be close to the Atom’s base price just below £30,000. There will be plenty of add-ons and upgrades, too. Ariel intends to start taking orders in January and expects the first customers to get their cars by mid-year.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/m...iel-nomad-revealed-–-exclusive-first-pictures
Ariel is poised to launch a high-performance, all-terrain stablemate for the Atom. Called the Nomad, it is designed to bridge the gap between the existing track-focused sports car and a pure 4x4 off-roader.
The Nomad will be unveiled at the Autosport show, starting on 9 January, and is described by Ariel boss Simon Saunders as “Atom’s mucky brother”. It will use the traditional Atom mechanical layout and play on its key virtues, such as compactness, strength and a high power-to-weight ratio.
But the Nomad will also have greatly enhanced ground clearance, gumball tyres, long-travel suspension and new, very comprehensive rollover protection - to make a car ideal for recreational driving on forest tracks and challenging off-road courses, or for competition in rallies for two-wheel-drive cars.
“We’ve done quite a bit of testing on forest tracks and rally stages,” said Saunders’ son Henry, who has done most of the development and testing, “and results have been extremely encouraging. We know the car is quick and stable. But it’s still a two-wheel-drive vehicle. We’re looking forward to discovering how it performs in genuine off-road conditions - in mud or crawling over rocks - compared with a traditional 4x4.”
The Nomad uses a modified version of the Atom’s ladder frame chassis, still bronze-welded by hand. There are chassis reinforcements and the car gets a comprehensive rollover structure that provides A-pillars for the standard windscreen.
Like the Atom’s, the suspension is wide-tracked and all-independent, but the hardware and geometry are new because the bigger, longer-travel suspension units need a bulkier outboard layout. However, running gear such as the instruments, switchgear, pedal box and wiring are familiar from the Atom.
There will be many wheel/tyre combinations when the car hits production next year, but prototypes have been tested on 15-inch alloys wearing 235/70 tyres. Ariel’s testers note a vast difference in grip depending on tyre spec. The engine is a four-cylinder Honda unit mounted transversely behind the two occupants, as in the Atom, but it’s not the 2.0-litre unit from the Civic Type R.
Capacity is understood to be about 2.4 litres, with about 200bhp plus plenty of low-end torque. The standard gearbox is Honda’s familiar manual six-speeder, and the Nomad will have a standard mechanical limited-slip differential, with more sophisticated set-ups available on the options list.
“The car should still be very quick on road,” said Henry Siebert-Saunders. “Not quite as quick as an Atom, maybe, but it will be able to do many things an Atom never could.” The Nomad is the first new-generation Ariel to have proper bodywork, although it’s far from being a fully enclosed car.
The lower tub and suspension covers will be black impact-absorbing composite, but owners will be able to personalise their cars by choosing their own colours for the wheels, frame, bonnet and engine cover.
The Atom’s low weight, a key to its supercar performance, is largely preserved in the Nomad. Ariel is still working on the final specification, but the Nomad is expected to weigh about 700kg, ready for the road, which is about 150kg more than a basic Atom but less than half the weight of a traditional off-roader. Thus, the Nomad should have about four times the power-to-weight ratio of a Land Rover Defender.
Ariel won’t reveal final spec and pricing yet, but an entry-level Nomad will be close to the Atom’s base price just below £30,000. There will be plenty of add-ons and upgrades, too. Ariel intends to start taking orders in January and expects the first customers to get their cars by mid-year.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/m...iel-nomad-revealed-–-exclusive-first-pictures
, it looks like something out of Jurassic park.
