The Ariel Atom 4RR is the fastest Atom ever, but it comes at a price
The Atom 4RR is Ariel’s quickest sports car yet, but you’d be parting with supercar money to own one
Somerset sports car company Ariel has upped the ante in celebration of its 25th anniversary, with a new ultra-hardcore Atom called the 4RR. With 525bhp it packs more power even than the screaming Atom V8 from 2010, and is the most potent and track-focused car in Ariel’s history.
At £208,000 (not including taxes) it’s also the most expensive, sitting in the same realm as full-blown supercars from Ferrari, McLaren and Maserati. The 4RR will be more exclusive than those with just 25 being built, however, and we’d bet on it delivering a kind of rabidly intense driving experience that eludes conventional supercars.
To put things in context, the 4RR adds the total power of the original Atom 1 – 125bhp – to the output of the Atom 4R on which it’s based, and that is absolutely not a car you’d climb out of wishing it had a bit more zip. Ariel quotes a sub-700kg weight figure for the car, which gives a staggering power-to-weight ratio of over 780bhp/ton. 62mph comes up in 2.4sec and 100mph is ticked off in just 5.1sec, making this the quickest Atom ever.
The engine is based on the 2-litre turbocharged K20C unit found in Honda’s Civic Type R, and a heavy development of that found in the 4R. The 4R’s engine already produces 30 per cent more power than the base Type R unit, so how has Ariel pushed it further? By replacing every key component with new motorsport-grade items, including forged pistons and con-rods, a reworked cylinder head and upgraded valvetrain.
There’s also a larger turbocharger, a new carbon intake and a race-spec oil system. The engine is built by hand and revs to 8200rpm, but you don’t need to have the full 525bhp on tap at all times, with tamer 400bhp and 500bhp maps available.
The hardware surrounding it is geared specifically for track use, though the 4RR is still road legal. There’s a six-speed Quaife sequential gearbox with clutchless pneumatic shifting and auto-blipping, a motorsport differential and adjustable remote reservoir Öhlins dampers. Braking is by an AP Racing system with 310mm discs, four-piston calipers and 11-stage adjustable ABS, with staggered forged wheels running Yokohama A052 tyres.
Refinements to the 4R’s carbonfibre aero package help maximise the new hardware, including new side pods that help cool the gearbox and uprated engine. The front wing and narrow, high-standing rear spoiler almost give it the look of a baby formula car. Optional extras allow customers to lean further into the motorsport theme, with on-board air jacks, electronically controlled dampers and a plated differential available at extra cost.
Just 25 Atom 4RRs will be built, celebrating Ariel’s 25 years as a sports car manufacturer. Each will be made to order according to customer spec, with the option of a driver training session with Ariel’s chief test driver – not something we’d turn down in a car with a higher power-to-weight ratio than a Bugatti Chiron…
