IN RECENT YEARS, WASHINGTON has spent millions of tax dollars developing military “smart suits”—bionic gear capable of imbuing troops with preternatural abilities. Think “leaping tall buildings in a single bound,” and you’re there. But Congress has gotten it all wrong, spending oceans of money on bleeding-edge technology when what it ought to do is ring up the Ariel Atom makers at Brammo Motorsports. Like any proper “black project,” Brammo’s headquarters lurks inside an anonymous one-story nestled in a suitably out-of-the-way locale: Ashland, Oregon. Owner Craig Bramscher runs an operation that’d do the armed services proud, and his mid-engine, tube-framed car is capable of funneling extraordinary dynamic capabilities through any individual fortunate enough to pilot it. Supernatural acceleration and handling in a lightweight, resource-frugal package—a four-wheel bionic smart suit.
Have your doubts? Just look at the thing. The Atom’s bug-eyed countenance and minimalist bodywork look every inch like a child’s Transformer—as if at any moment it might pivot its front alloys sidewall-down, rise on its exoskeletal haunches, and bound off like some giant human-helmed mech-warrior.
Originally designed for the British market by Simon Saunders, the Ariel Atom has been re-engineered by Brammo for the U.S. Virtually every component has changed, to the point where the car can legitimately be considered wholly different from U.K. models.
It all starts, humbly enough, from twenty-foot lengths of mild steel tubing. Based on their own 3D CAD models (U.K. cars are built from less-detailed schematics), a crew of fifty bend, laser cut, and weld the Atom’s extrusions to a degree of precision and repeatability that the British can’t match. About sixty subassemblies are then affixed to the powder-coated frame, with an incredible 50 percent of parts manufactured in-house. Every fiberglass, carbon, and fabricated steel part is hand-rendered internally.
We’re also talking about unrelated drivetrains. Ariel Atoms built in Oregon feature the supercharged 2.0-liter Ecotec inline four and five-speed manual normally found in Chevrolet’s Cobalt SS (albeit sporting a reflashed ECU), whereas U.K. versions are powered by Honda. U.S. ‘boxes are down a cog on their overseas counterparts, but GM’s powerplants compensate with greater torque.
Our tester’s 205 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque composed the lowest available specification (power levels of 245 and 300 horsepower are optional). Although 205 ponies may not sound like weapons-grade shove, in a car weighing 1350 pounds, it’s good enough for 0-60 miles per hour in about 3.3 seconds.
Getting into an Atom is hardly an elegant exercise: Throw a leg over, step onto the seat, and slither into the composite footwell. A kartlike, quick-release steering wheel sits low and close to the instruments, with analog gauges for the tachometer and speedometer, and an LCD readout monitoring secondary functions. Even the key’s appropriately minimalist: There isn’t one. Instead, a pendant-shaped fob with an integral microchip energizes the ignition switch. Four-point Schroth harnesses come standard, as do close-cropped buckets. There’s room for taller drivers, but the nonadjustable steering wheel obscures the gauges’ top third and rides thighhuggingly close. Rudimentary turn signals are by non-self-cancelling toggle switch, climate control is by mother nature, and music is internal-combustion only. It’s a study in spare that renders Lotus’s Elise downright indulgent by comparison.
Wave the fob near the ignition’s under-dash antenna, flip the switch, thumb the starter button, and the DOHC motor bursts to life, quickly settling into a 750-rpm idle. Depress the nicely weighted clutch, slot into first, give the throttle a solid nudge, and the car drives away quite smoothly. There’s a slight initial hiccup in the Ecotec’s drive-bywire throttle; but once learned, it’s easily sussed (a fix is promised).
To look at it, you’d think Atom owners would have their chiropractors on retainer, but that’s unlikely. Its
suspension is disarmingly supple, taking everything from railroad crossings to cattle grates in stride. Because the Ariel’s so light, the double A-arms and inboard-mounted Konis can be tuned relatively softly and still ride no harsher than most hot hatches.
The Ariel’s unassisted rack proves incredibly quick and informative in short order, and with both fenders in plain sight, it’s easy to position. At higher speeds, the car initially feels darty, but when the driver realizes only minute corrections are required, it all rapidly becomes second-skin good. Better still, the Atom’s “exploded parts diagram” construction bolsters confidence, because drivers can see inputs translated directly into action—the throttle, brake, and steering systems are all on display.
Atom’s unassisted brakes require very firm pedal pressure but prove supremely progressive and fade free in spirited driving. In corners, it takes a set quickly, the sparsely treaded fifteen-inch Yokohama Advans gripping like mad. Even given rear-heavy weight distribution, the Ariel generates 1.25 g. Absolute adhesion limits are so high that it can be tough to rotate, but an indelicate throttle will bring the rear around in a hurry.
One might expect a low, roofless car with vestigial windscreens and latticework sides to feel vulnerable, but thanks to Atom’s super-stiff structure, uninhibited forward visibility, and tremendously precise inputs, that sensation never materializes. What does factor, however, is wind and engine noise. Around town, the former is
easy enough to manage, but at speeds above eighty-five mph, the Atom will divorce eyeglasses from faces. The result? Blurred vision via overcompensating tear ducts, so higher velocities are best achieved helmeted. Driving on asphalt triggers childhood memories, a hail of cinders popping and fizzing off the Atom’s pipe work like a bicycle’s tube frame. Predictably, rocks kicked up by cars ahead aren’t nearly as charming.
Given the air intake adjacent one’s right ear, there’s a palpable pressure differential at speed. Combined with the supercharger’s pronounced whine and exhaust blat, it’s a unique experience. It’s all too easy to get distracted by the glorious cacophony, only to turn the tach needle from blue to red, careening off the 6500-rpm limiter. Gear changeups arrive quickly, though fifth requires some hunting.
Given the assertion that only a handful of parts are shared with the U.K. version and that the car’s drivetrain is sourced from a Lordstown, Ohio, GM product, Brammo’s Ariel is nothing less than a paradigm-shifting American super car built in the unlikeliest of places.
If the Atom is any indication, Uncle Sam would do well to pay a visit to Ashland quickly, as a Brammo-designed super suit would have recruits lined ’round the block for the privilege.
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