Hello everyone,
now since i got my Atom official registered in Germany about two weeks ago I finally managed to write something down to say "Hello" and introduce myself and my Atom properly.
My Name is Oliver and I'm from Germany (as you can easly guess from my shitty english... sorry for that in advance
).
If you don't like stories skip the next paragraphs!
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Almost eight Years ago I drove an Honda Civic Type R (EP3) and quite frankly i did not bought it because of the "faboulus" Honda design they came up with. It was purely a decision engine wise. As I take a look back it was the time as almost every manufacturer was turbocharging there Hatchbacks (in the VW Golf class) because of environmental reasons i guess. So it was the last dinosaur of highreving four-stroke units….till the EU finally killed it in the end of 2010.
Three and a half years later I sold my EP3 in order to buy my number one childhood dream, car wise.
It was an early Lotus Elise MK2 (one of the lighter ones with no assistants). Engine… yeah if you looking at the engine bay that was a pretty big downgrade to the k20a. The K-Series Rover (non VVC) thing that Lotus put in the back was not really overwhelmed with such an light car. But the ideling, reving and the gearbox of it is far from brilliant… anyway the Elise was pretty fun to drive in any other car this engine is propably a nightmare.
I really like the style of the MK2 Elise and the lightness and feel in the steering wheel when braking hard etc… a blast on twisty roads and also on track.
So after another four and a half years of fun I started to think of an power upgrade. First that came into my mind was having something similar to the old k20a. There were just a few options to get something like that and not lose that lightness and aggility I became addicted to in the last years.
1. Put a new engine in the Elise but you have to be nuts to pay that amount of money to get it fitted proberly and registered over here.
2. Buy an Toyota VTi powered Elise/Exige... but Lotus decided with ongoing build of the Mark 2 it has to be significant heavier as the old ones. So a bit more power and hell lot of more weight to carry. So not the upgrade for me.
3. "The Caterham Option" but those Versions which provide the most fun to drive are quite expensive and partly aren't to register over here.
4. and last the I came up with the "not-home-supported but better as a big bike" idea of buying an Atom.
As I live pretty near to Hockenheim and and the Nordschleife i drove my former cars there quite often so i guess driving an Atom can be quite entertaining and much more radical and faster as an elise always could be.
So it was the obvious choice if you want unassisted driving experience and the option to scare the sh** out of you. I also fancied a bit with the possibility that YOU ARE the driver and when you fu** up things there is a big chance that it will "kill" you. I'm far from having suicidal tendencies but that is a bit of the attraction of driving such an car to me… I'm sure it makes not sense for everyone.
Anyway due to registration limitations in Germany there were quite few obstacles to pass and I also wanted a, for me, good equipped car thats suits my requirements (as basic as possible). So my search began in the "wanted section" of this forum and very quick i got a few replys on it. I got in touch with Ben and, to make the story much shorter, finally bought his former green Atom. I'm pretty sure a lot of you know this car since Ben is an active member of this forum as well.
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The end of story time.
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Now a few stats of the car:
Ariel Atom 2-245
MY 03/2005
K20a without electronic throttle!
ECU PRB Hondata K100 with OBD Port
Adjustable Bilstein Dampers
Race Needle Roller Bellcranks
Starcom Intercom
Carbon Speedo souroundings
Carbon Air Intake
Alcon Brakes Front + Back
Brake Bias Adjuster
Battery Master Switch
Atom 3 Seat
Detachable steering wheel with shift lights
I guess thats pretty much it. Hope I forgot nothing important on the equipment side.
Since the registration I drove as much as i get the chance to because end of October will come soon and that is the expiry date of my seasonal number plates. Next chance will then be the first of march.
As the eagle eye jabs among us can see on the rear are still the silly little competition brakes mounted. It is due to registration and handbrake issues. I promise it will be soon
fixed with the Alcons back on. :-)
There will be some improvments to do to make it much more suitable for me to drive.
- Neoprene "seat cushions" because the seats are pretty slipery --> ordered!
- Mtec Gearbox Springs "Racing Version" as discussed in thread for a much better gearstick centering --> ordered!
- Clutch pedal readjusted because Ben is pretty tall guy and i'm not :-)
- Front Body Panel and Airbox hood will be vinyl wrapped --> during this seasonal break
- Handbrake Option for the rear Alcons
- LHD Conversion with new Chassis powder coating and Wishbone refurb
So as things change i want to keep you updated and give a small review of the changed things.