There’s no such thing as a slow Ariel Atom. They’re all fast, but some, like the new 4R that was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week, are just a little bit crazier than the rest.
Based on the Atom 4, a heavily revised version of the original Atom that made its debut at Goodwood five years ago, the R inherits the same basic chassis, body (what there is of it) aero improvements and a turbocharged Honda K20 2.0-liter four that helped that car make such a leap forward. But everything on the 4R is even more extreme; it’s now the most powerful four-cylinder Atom yet, and the second muscliest, period, after the wild 473 hp (480 PS) Atom V8 of 2008.
While the regular Atom 4 is rated at the same 321 hp (325 PS) as the European-spec Honda Civic Type-R that shares its engine, the 4R pumps out a more serious 400 hp (406 PS) thanks mostly to a new intercooler system located in new pods at either side of the car ahead of the rear wheels. Torque is up too, from 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) to 369 lb-ft (500 Nm).
Related: All-New Ariel Atom 4 Presented With Honda Civic Type R Engine
Those gains drop the zero to 60 mph (97 km/h) sprint time from 2.8 to 2.7 seconds, bring the 0-100 mph (161 km/h) time three-tenths down to 6.5 seconds, and swell the top speed from 162 mph (261 km/h) to 170 mph (274 km/h). Unlike the Civic Type-R and Atom 4, which both feature six-speed manual transmissions, the 4R gets a six-speed, paddle-shifted sequential ’box.
But this being a (road legal) track car, the mods don’t stop at the powertrain. There are fancy Öhlins springs and dampers instead of the 4’s Eibach-Bilstein combo, carbon ceramic brake discs with AP Racing four-pot calipers, 12-mode switchable ABS, and carbon wheels that together with the brakes cut 57 lbs (26 kg) from the curb weight. And for maximum track stiction, and just to complete the F1-car charade, there’s an aero package comprising of front and rear wings.
The Atom concept is coming up to 25 years old, but it seems like Ariel isn’t short of ideas about how to keep it out in front, not literally and figuratively.
