Ariel readies supercharged 300bhp Atom

Ariel will launch its fastest-ever Atom track car this autumn, with power boosted to 300bhp and a 0-60mph target of ‘less than three seconds.’ Boss Simon Saunders has been developing supercharged prototypes with up to 275bhp, but the £30k production car would have around 300bhp.

The standard Atom uses Honda’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder iVTEC unit, as used in the Civic Type-R, tuned to produce 220bhp in naturally aspirated form. To cope with the supercharged model’s extra 80bhp, Saunders is planning a brake upgrade.

‘We expect the supercharged car to weigh between 520-540kg. You can’t buy this sort of performance at four times the cost,’ he said.