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Ariel Motor Company

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This article is about the modern sports car manufacturer. For the historical motorcycle and car marque, see Ariel (vehicle).

Ariel Motor Company Limited
FormerlyAriel Manufacturing Limited (1–30 October 2008)
Company typeLtd
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1991 (as Solocrest Ltd.)
FounderSimon Saunders
Headquarters
Crewkerne, Somerset
,
United Kingdom
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsAutomobiles Motorcycles
Number of employees
30
Websitearielmotor.co.uk

Ariel Motor Company Limited is a British, low-volume performance motor vehicle manufacturing company in Crewkerne, in Somerset, England.

History

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The company was founded by Simon Saunders in 1991 as Solocrest Ltd. with a concept of modernizing Lotus Seven. As a transport design lecturer, Saunders and his student Niki Smart created CAD designs. After several sports car companies rejected his proposal, Saunders founded own company to create the Atom.[1]

In 1999, the company name was changed to Ariel Motor Company Ltd. The original Ariel Motors remains as the trading company of the Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club (AOMCC) Ariel Motorcycles firm.[2] Ariel Motor Company is one of the UK's smallest automotive companies, with just 30 employees, producing up to 100 cars per year.

Products

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Atom

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Ariel Atom at Goodwood

The company manufactures the Ariel Atom, an extremely light, high performance car,[3] powered by a Honda Civic Type-R engine and gearbox. The Atom is the world's first road-going exoskeletal car;[4] it has no bodywork or roof, and is built entirely around the tube chassis, making it weigh less than 500 kg (1,102 lb). This means that the Ariel Atom 3.5R supercharged model has a power-to-weight ratio of around 700 bhp (520 kW) per tonne.

In 2003, the 2-liter Honda Civic Type R (for the 220) and Type-S (for the 160) engine was used to power the Atom 2. Introduced in 2007, the Atom 3 included a new gearbox and a "KZ" Type-R motor.[1] In July 2018, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Ariel announced and started taking reservations for their new Ariel Atom 4. The new car is completely revised from the previous Ariel Atom, with all but a few parts having been changed. The new car is powered again by the engine used in the Honda Civic Type R, but is now turbo charged as standard in the Atom 4. The new car also features a thicker frame, separate seats and a revised intake. The new car has been reviewed by Autocar[5] and deliveries started at the start of June 2019. In 2020, Autocar selected the Ariel Atom 4 as Britain's Best Driver's Car.[6][7]

Ace

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Ariel Ace motorcycle

In June 2014, the company announced the new Ariel Ace motorcycle. Powered by a Honda 1237cc V4 engine and gearbox, the bike will be produced from 2015 in similar volume levels to the existing car-based products.[8]

Nomad

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2019 Ariel Nomad 2.4 Front.

In January 2015, Ariel introduced the Nomad, a road-legal buggy designed along the same principles as the Atom, at the Autosport International Show.[9] The Nomad utilises a 2.4 litre Honda engine producing 235bhp.[10]

In 2023, Ariel received $370,000 funding from the Niche Vehicle Network (NVN) and Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) to construct Nomad EV.[11]

HIPERCAR

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In August 2017, Ariel announced the HIPERCAR (High Performance Carbon Reduction), an electric sports car.[12] The HIPERCAR uses Equipmake APM200 electric motors, supplied by a Norfolk-based electric bus manufacturing start-up.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Ariel Atom buying guide". evo. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Ariel". Supercar club. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  3. ^ "Ariel Atom V8 (2010) First Official Pictures". CAR Magazine. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  4. ^ "Ariel Atom". Fifty Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  5. ^ "Ariel Atom 4 First Drive | Autocar". www.autocar.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Autocar Awards 2020: Ariel Atom 4 named Britain's Best Driver's Car". Autocar. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  7. ^ Lane, Richard. "Ariel Atom 4". www.msn.com. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  8. ^ SSquires (25 June 2014). "Ariel launch the all new Ace motorcycle". Western Morning News. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Ariel rolls out the Nomad, a buggy with 235hp". yahoo.com.
  10. ^ "Ariel Nomad design | Autocar". www.autocar.co.uk. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Ariel Receives Government Funding To Build Nomad EV". CarBuzz. 14 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  12. ^ "News - Ariel Motor Co". 23 August 2017. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  13. ^ "Ariel Hipercar".
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