HOW A TINY AUTOMAKER BUILT A BONKERS V8 USING TWO SUZUKI ENGINES

When automotive enthusiasts are having a discussion about the ultimate track car, the Ariel Atom often gets mentioned, and it’s not hard to see why. With its unique, minimalist approach to the driving experience, and a striking design that’s radically different from everything else on the market, the Atom left a very strong impression in the car world from the day it was first released.

One version of the Atom distinguishes itself from the rest of the lineup thanks to its engine. And while most Atoms are powered by inline-four engines, this particular model, called the Atom 500, is equipped with a V8. It's not just any V8, either, as it was created through a very unusual process that involved the creative use of a pair of Suzuki motorcycle engines. Let's explore the history that led to this slightly bonkers creation, and some of the other cars it shares a lineup with.

Small But Mighty: The Ariel Story

The Original Ariel Motors

Several different companies have used the Ariel name over the years, starting in the 19th century and continuing to this day. When James Starley and William Hillman first founded a small company in the 1870s in England, the only item they produced was wire-spoke wheels. After a few years, however, their first vehicle, a penny-farthing bicycle, appeared on the market. The bicycle was named Ariel, the Spirit of the Air, and the name became permanently attached to the growing company. Towards the end of the 19th century, Ariel began to produce powered tricycles and quadricycles, with the first “modern” motorcycle appearing in 1902. Ariel had a brief stint in car manufacturing as well, which started in 1901. Car production was later moved to Coventry in 1911, before ending in 1925.

In 1932, the second incarnation of the company began production in a new factory in Birmingham, and went through a change of name, from “The Ariel Motorcycle Company” to simply “Ariel Motors”. The late 30s saw one of the most successful Ariel motorcycles, the Red Hunter, appear on the market. Throughout World War Two, the Ariel factory was used for military production, and a version of the Red Hunter with higher ground clearance, called the Ariel W/NG 350, was mass-produced for military purposes. After the war, Ariel was sold to the Birmingham Small Arms company (BSA) with its former owner, Jack Sangster, joining the company’s board and later becoming Chairman. Ariel enjoyed a period of success during this time, producing reliable and popular motorcycles.

That period, however, wouldn't last very long. In the late 1950s, Ariel decided to scrap its lineup of four-stroke engines, convinced that two-stroke engines were the next big market trend, and began producing two motorbike-scooter hybrids named the Leader and the Arrow. This was an attempt to compete with new imports from Japan, but one that would prove to be unsuccessful as both models failed to sell in great numbers. In 1962, BSA made the decision to close the factory for good, transferring all production to its own factory on the other side of the city and by 1967, production of Ariel motorcycles ended completely. The last vehicle still bearing the Ariel name, the Ariel 3 motorized tricycle, was produced by BSA in 1970. This was also a failure, and the design was later licensed to Honda, who produced and marketed it as the Honda Gyro.

The Ariel Name Reborn

The company we know today was founded in 1991 under the name of Solocrest Limited, later changed to Ariel Motor Company in 1999. The first model produced was the Atom, followed by the Nomad and Ace motorcycle being added to the line-up. Inside Ariel’s workshop, tucked away in the leafy region of Somerset, expert technicians work on assembling each car individually according to the customer’s every wish.

As the company grew, it also began to establish a presence on the other side of the Atlantic to satisfy the demands of U.S. customers who heard about the Atom’s performance and wanted one for themselves. In 2005, five years after the Atom made its debut, Ariel established an agreement with Brammo Motorsports in Oregon, allowing them to build the Atom 2 for the US market. Later, the license would be passed on to a different firm, TMI Autotech, which took over production of the Atom 3. The company has continued its working relationship with Ariel to this day, going on to build the American versions of the Atom 4 and the off-road Nomad.

Ariel's Crown Jewel: The Atom

The Atom, Ariel’s first ever model and its most famous one, is quite unlike anything else in the car world due to its unique “exoskeleton” structure. Stripping the concept of a car down to its most essential principles, the Atom is basically an exposed chassis on wheels, with the smallest possible amount of bodywork and no fancy creature comforts like a roof or windows standing in the way of performance.

The Ariel Atom was an immediate hit, and propelled the new company into the spotlight in the automotive world with its pointy, angular design making it instantly recognizable. It also fulfilled a niche that few other cars could claim with its pure, bare-bones track toy persona, with no pretense of luxury and no purpose other than being sheer driving fun.

Bare Bones, Eight Cylinders: The Atom 500 V8

The V8-powered version of the Atom was first introduced in 2010, a decade after the first incarnation of the model made its debut. The Atom 500 was a modified version of the Atom 3, the third-generation model that first arrived on the market in 2007.

The Atom 500’s engine, a 3.0-liter Hartley V8, had a slightly unusual development process in that the very first prototype of this engine was created by grafting together two Suzuki motorcycle engines. Of course, the final product was a long way from that original attempt in terms of development, but some traces of motorcycle DNA survived in the Atom 500’s spirit of on-track fun and driving enjoyment.

Despite being a small-scale, limited-edition model, only 25 units of which were ever produced, the Atom 500 was available in two different versions. The first was oriented more toward road use and produced 475 hp, while the second was purely about on-track performance and produced 500 hp. The track-ready version also has a slightly higher redline (10,600 rpm instead of 10,500). A “Race Technology” instrument pack, which includes a built-in data logger, completes the picture.

The Rest Of The Family: Other Bonkers Atoms

While the Atom 500 sets itself apart from its siblings due to its unique powertrain, there are other variants of the Atom that take the original recipe and boost it with upgrades for some extra oomph.

The Atom 3S is another updated version of the Atom 3, and was built specifically for the US market by TMI Autotech. The 3S was released in 2014, and came with a number of mechanical upgrades, including a cockpit-adjustable traction control system, a new choice of sequential transmission, and upgraded dampers. The power output was also boosted to 365 horsepower.

In similar fashion, the Atom 4R builds on the Atom 4 and adds a number of performance-oriented features to boost its on-track prowess. The Atom 4R was first introduced in 2023, four years after the debut of the Atom 4. Some of the 4R’s performance improvements include the addition of extra cooling systems, an optional aero package, and a power boost to 400 hp. Generous use of carbon fiber, including its wheels, results in a weight saving of 62 pounds.

The last unusual variant of the Atom is essentially the complete opposite of the V8 version, and it qualifies by a hair as it wasn’t technically built by Ariel. Created by former Tesla engineer Ian Wright, the Wrightspeed X1 was a prototype vehicle and the only fully electric variant of the Atom, heavily modified to accommodate a fully electric powertrain.

2024-09-21T11:24:09Z dg43tfdfdgfd