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Top Gear reviews the Ariel Atom (I have got to get me one of these...) http://tinyurl.com/d56fc
I've been in fast cars before and quite frankly, they're not as exciting as my littl' baby:
Be it at low speed to "slightly" more than speed limits, you can't get a rush in a car that you get when a bike tips over down to 40 degrees to take a corner.
As far as the raw speed is concerned, they have pitched a 300HP high-torque card against a 600CC motor bike (mines a 636). Had they pinned it against a 1200R or a Hayabusa, or even just a 900CC, they'd have had a much different result.
The Atom does look fun, though. Perhaps more so than a T-Rex ( http://www.go-t-rex.com/high_resolution_pictures.asp?nav=fr-ca ).
EDIT: Funny thing, though, is that just like in the intro video, I did get my bike at 33, after a long wait after my mother had encouraged me to get furniture for my apartment rather than blow my cash on a bike. How boring.
Be it at low speed to "slightly" more than speed limits, you can't get a rush in a car that you get when a bike tips over down to 40 degrees to take a corner.
As far as the raw speed is concerned, they have pitched a 300HP high-torque card against a 600CC motor bike (mines a 636). Had they pinned it against a 1200R or a Hayabusa, or even just a 900CC, they'd have had a much different result.
The Atom does look fun, though. Perhaps more so than a T-Rex ( http://www.go-t-rex.com/high_resolution_pictures.asp?nav=fr-ca ).
EDIT: Funny thing, though, is that just like in the intro video, I did get my bike at 33, after a long wait after my mother had encouraged me to get furniture for my apartment rather than blow my cash on a bike. How boring.
did someone say ergonomic nightmare!
On the car? Or this bike?
that bike! yeuch! i cant even imagine!
How boring. There is no way you're going to get the rash you'd get when your bike tips down 0º to take some gravel and a few ripped off limbs in a car.
It's actually quite comfy. I've done non-stop 500km rides with it.
As for the rashes, hey, it serves you for not dressing up properly.
As for the rashes, hey, it serves you for not dressing up properly.
Yeah, until you have an accident at high speeds. Then you're pretty much screwed.
Squished is more like it. There are very few screws on a bike.
The idea is to avoid accident and drive responsibly. Like in any vehicle.
The idea is to avoid accident and drive responsibly. Like in any vehicle.
yeah and avoid trafficjams :D
You mean cause them, because by darting in and out of traffic, you cause the traffic jams to happen behind you, as when you cut in front of someone, obviously they are going to hit their brakes, which causes ripple effects as everyone behind them hits *their* brakes, and if enough people do this, it causes traffic jams.
Eize Ryda - professional driver.
ps, i *do* know what i'm talkin about here.. I drive on average of 500mi a day, 365days a year.
Eize Ryda - professional driver.
ps, i *do* know what i'm talkin about here.. I drive on average of 500mi a day, 365days a year.
You mean, bikers should use the shoulder? :P
On the Ariel Atom 2: Great car, on my wishlist... but it's been out for about 9 months now, nothing new.
On a related note: Did you see the new Shelby GT 500? Yum...
I know it's a gas guzzler, but as long as I don't buy or drive one, I think coveting it is fine ;).
On the Ariel Atom 2: Great car, on my wishlist... but it's been out for about 9 months now, nothing new.
On a related note: Did you see the new Shelby GT 500? Yum...
I know it's a gas guzzler, but as long as I don't buy or drive one, I think coveting it is fine ;).
A nice compromise between a motorbike and a car is the Carver ( http://www.carver-europe.com/ ).
Though, it's not as pretty as the Ariel Atom ( http://www.carver-europe.com/gall/hires/CARVER-27.jpg ) and the Carver is sensationally under-poweered for what it should be:
<<Its low weight and aerodynamic design allows the modern 4 cylinder 68 bhp engine to take CARVER in 8.2 seconds to 100 km/hour and to a top speed of 185 km/hour.>>
My GMC Safari AWD can actually do that. And it banks in the corners too, but for entirely different reasons ... :D
Though, it's not as pretty as the Ariel Atom ( http://www.carver-europe.com/gall/hires/CARVER-27.jpg ) and the Carver is sensationally under-poweered for what it should be:
<<Its low weight and aerodynamic design allows the modern 4 cylinder 68 bhp engine to take CARVER in 8.2 seconds to 100 km/hour and to a top speed of 185 km/hour.>>
My GMC Safari AWD can actually do that. And it banks in the corners too, but for entirely different reasons ... :D
blah the atom car looks more like a gocart then a car...
not to mention that i really wouldn't want to drive it during winter...
not to mention that i really wouldn't want to drive it during winter...
"pretty"?!
These things look like piles of cow limbs strapped together with sting and smeared with chrome paint
wtf is wrong with you people?
These things look like piles of cow limbs strapped together with sting and smeared with chrome paint
wtf is wrong with you people?
EEEE when i were a lad they built some rare things...
Yeah. BMW has an even dorkier model currently on sale in europe:
/me hugs his Yamaha R6 (*I love you baby...* did I just type that out loud?)
mgl_mouser:
It's true that you don't get to lean into corners in the atom, or any other true 4-wheel vehicle (and I say true, because the tomohawk doesn't count), but that also has its advantages. It means you can take corners much faster and harder, and also much more safely than a bike. Another thing the Atom has going for it, is that it is so much LOWER than a bike. Being so low to the ground, the thrill of high speeds (on a straight & level) is much higher due to perception.
Unlike other fast cars though, the atom is -almost- in bike range for accel, and right up there in speed too, due to it's enormous power/weight ratio. You also have much higher visibility than a car, with less to distract you from the road (which also makes it more exciting than a car). The only thing it's lacking in is aerodynamics when compared to other top performance vehicles.
In a nutshell, you may find fast cars unexciting, but the Atom is pretty far from any other kind of fast car.
Yes, it is bare-bones, which I really find very attractive... The atom shows enormous elegance of design.
.
toshiro:
The Atom isn't new, no, but the availability of that kickass episode on the web is, hence the mention.
.
Rene:
That's what winter beaters are for =P
and some of the most extreme cars ever have looked like go-karts... If Baja racers can value performance over the body and looks of a typical car, then why shouldn't we?
.
Ariel Atom sits right up at the top of my list of hottest and most progressive cars in history. (because it starts with 'A' :P)
It's true that you don't get to lean into corners in the atom, or any other true 4-wheel vehicle (and I say true, because the tomohawk doesn't count), but that also has its advantages. It means you can take corners much faster and harder, and also much more safely than a bike. Another thing the Atom has going for it, is that it is so much LOWER than a bike. Being so low to the ground, the thrill of high speeds (on a straight & level) is much higher due to perception.
Unlike other fast cars though, the atom is -almost- in bike range for accel, and right up there in speed too, due to it's enormous power/weight ratio. You also have much higher visibility than a car, with less to distract you from the road (which also makes it more exciting than a car). The only thing it's lacking in is aerodynamics when compared to other top performance vehicles.
In a nutshell, you may find fast cars unexciting, but the Atom is pretty far from any other kind of fast car.
Yes, it is bare-bones, which I really find very attractive... The atom shows enormous elegance of design.
.
toshiro:
The Atom isn't new, no, but the availability of that kickass episode on the web is, hence the mention.
.
Rene:
That's what winter beaters are for =P
and some of the most extreme cars ever have looked like go-karts... If Baja racers can value performance over the body and looks of a typical car, then why shouldn't we?
.
Ariel Atom sits right up at the top of my list of hottest and most progressive cars in history. (because it starts with 'A' :P)
Heh. CNH and I live a short drive away from the only authorized manufacturer/retailer in the US.