350bhp power option, what do you get?

[Anon]

That is what, 11 or 12k if done at build time?

What is the maintenance requirement on it, do they need regular rebuilds?

Can’t afford it, just interested :-)

Yes around that price at build. I had to try the car with a manual first before laying out that kind of cash. The manual gearbox on this car is just too slow for a car with this amount of power. If you want a track weapon that can keep up with the Radicals etc and just be a lot of fun on track you NEED this sequential.

Maintenance for rebuilds/service I don't know, I am now waiting for the factory to get back to me, but with only 350bhp going through it I can't imagine it will be that often. As soon as we start to get 400bhp+ then it will be a lot sooner I would of thought.

Interestingly this gear kit does come in both helical and spur/straight cut gears. The factory supplies the spur version - I can only assume this is because they normally have lighter casings and internals.

@simonrhart is proshift an option through Ariel? Very curious about price differences and recommendations from Ariel

Not sure, I mentioned the electronic version. I need to see this first and do more research as I don't fully understand the benefit difference if there is one. The shifter Ariel supplies has a latency of 30ms. When in the car, it's lighting quick, bloody impressive actually! Although I was not permitted to drive it. This needs to be fixed in my view, especially then you are spending 10's of thousands of pounds.

Ariel by default only supply the pneumatically activated gear kit. But I am sure they will work with you if you wanted the electronic version. i am just not yet clear on the benefits of an electronic changer. More research to be done here, I have never driven a car with an electronic changer, they have always been pneumatic, I love the sound of the pneumatic ones as well.

Love the video by Simonhart. like few others have suggested go for stock power and if needed upgrade at service.

My only issue with a new build is the 2 year wait....hence why im looking at the second hand market too.

Thanks! yes the wait sucks. I waited 2.5yrs for mine. In that time I just researched everything I could about the cars. And now trying to create videos and posts to help others.

Tge only way of me getting into one with a sequential would be a atom 3 or a 3.5. The Atom4 with a sequential would ve way out of budget for me unfortunately.

I struggle to understand how most of you had the patients to wait 2 years for a build, hats off!

It is worth it to get the car you want. Depends on how fussy you are, I am off the charts in terms of fussy. I want things just right, to my spec.

[Italianpaul]

Simon

Regarding the gearing on the Sequential, do you know if the ratios stay the same as the manual or can they be tweaked?

[Anon]

Simon

Regarding the gearing on the Sequential, do you know if the ratios stay the same as the manual or can they be tweaked?

I know that Quaife offer different ratios for their sequential, these mapping to the Honda manual gearbox I do not know. I will ask as this is a great question. To be honest this matters less when you have a sequential gearbox.

[Herohonda]

I remember caterham Owners use to have issues with the quaiffe box and reverse gear selection. Hope its better in the Atom.

Iirc caterhan has moved away from quaiffe, unsure what the reason for that is thoh.

[reg]

After going out in a 350 I would say that is the way it should come as standard The 3K upcharge is pretty steep for what you get, and tbh the numbers are largely irrelevant IMO with the intercooler being the size it is? How many of the '350's would still be making that number after 3 or 4 laps on a hot day But, the standard car feels flat and after coughing up 50/60K on a car another 3K is hardly a strectch, even if you know you are being rinsed On the road I doubt heat soak is going to be an issue anyway?

Sequential box sounds great, look forward to more info on that

And the 400, if it happens will likely be expensive as it'll need a built bottom end and much larger intercooler. In the real world 3-4K, so who knows what that will retail at?

[reg]

I remember caterham Owners use to have issues with the quaiffe box and reverse gear selection. Hope its better in the Atom.

Iirc caterhan has moved away from quaiffe, unsure what the reason for that is thoh.

Because it spat oil everywhere.....felt and sounded like something out of a tractor. Absolutely horrible unless being used on track.

The Sadev in the 620R is infinitely better.

[Anon]

I remember caterham Owners use to have issues with the quaiffe box and reverse gear selection. Hope its better in the Atom.

Iirc caterhan has moved away from quaiffe, unsure what the reason for that is thoh.

In the Atom, to select reverse, you change down to first, then press the neutral button on the console (I would prefer this on the steering wheel) when pull back on the paddle. Didn't see any issues at least in the demo short ride I had.

[Herohonda]

I would love to know more indepth about how much torque the sadev can handle which came from factory on the Atom3's n/a models.

[Hedge]

From the chats I’ve had, the 4R shall cost something well north of 100k.

Cheers,
Hedge

[hamtt]

Well if a 350 with ohlins/ap/wings/cf wheels etc comes in at about 90k then it's not hard to see it'll be over a hundred.

I think though we're getting to the point of things being expensive for the sake of expensive and at what point to people stop seeing the value in things, and we're starting to approach supercar money territory.

I don't think the atom will ever have a wide enough appeal or customer base as a porsche/ferrari/lambo etc and I think the only perceived value of it is from the existing owners or the relatively few that it will always appeal to so difficult to see how things will pan out.

I've spoken to several people that have sold off their 4's already, and none of them have been speculators. They all had money down for a 3.5 and the orders got switched to 4's with a new price list. People that were looking forward to a fairly high spec 3.5 for about 40-45k suddenly found they could only afford a fairly basic 4, and were left with a car that was frankly underwhelming without all the bells and whistles. Not everyone can just pull out an extra 20k to spec up a toy, it's a lot of money.

[reg]

Well if a 350 with ohlins/ap/wings/cf wheels etc comes in at about 90k then it's not hard to see it'll be over a hundred.

I think though we're getting to the point of things being expensive for the sake of expensive and at what point to people stop seeing the value in things, and we're starting to approach supercar money territory.

I don't think the atom will ever have a wide enough appeal or customer base as a porsche/ferrari/lambo etc and I think the only perceived value of it is from the existing owners or the relatively few that it will always appeal to so difficult to see how things will pan out.

I've spoken to several people that have sold off their 4's already, and none of them have been speculators. They all had money down for a 3.5 and the orders got switched to 4's with a new price list. People that were looking forward to a fairly high spec 3.5 for about 40-45k suddenly found they could only afford a fairly basic 4, and were left with a car that was frankly underwhelming without all the bells and whistles. Not everyone can just pull out an extra 20k to spec up a toy, it's a lot of money.

You have made a very salient point. From my perspective, highly spec'd 3.5 owner I honestly feel a bit let down by the factory in respect of the 4. I say this for a number of reasons. Firstly, the car I went out in was not a 320, it had the map, everyone can deny it but my ass dyno is pretty accurate. I have owned a few Caterhams and keep in touch with the guys. Caterham et all were a bit miffed by the press, I mean the 620 at 53K looked awful value against the 39,995 Atom 4 which gave it a bloody nose. But it wasn't a 39,995 car? AP's, 350, carbon wheels...let's be reasonable and say 65K, hardly a fair comparison really? It was sold as an evolution, but it's now not looking like value, given that a supercharged 3.5 is actually faster than the stock 4, due to weight, was a surprise to me. So. I was sold a car on the premise that it was an evolution of the old one. For this to be the case it would be necessary (in my case) to be spending north of 65K, that's not what was promised at all. Now the talk of the 400, I think it will go as follows. Ariel will appoint an engine builder to install a steel crack/rods into the standard engine and fit side pods then up the boost. They will then offer 5-10 of them at a high premium. Lastly. There is simply no value in the 350 upgrade at 3K. I mean, to put this in perspective a recent upgrade of another car was around the same price and for the same money included 2 new turbo's, Intercooler, hard piping and map. It does leave me with a quite negative view of things.

I am very disappointed how the 4 has been sold. To approach anything near expectations it's a 60-65K car and tbh I feel it was very much misrepresented. As a stock car it wouldn't deliver, because there is no such thing as a stock 40K Atom 4.

At 100K, you really have to ask yourself some serious questions.

[phil4]

I did a quick comparison against my old 3.5, and a similar spec'd 4, and found the price increase to about 5K, up from £47K to £52K (yes, I went with black wheels to match the black frame too).

At 52K it doesn't have any of the really fancy stuff we all talk about, Ohlins, 350bhp, carbon everywhere, but then neither did my old 3.5.

From memory, Ariel have always done the "from" game, and the demo cars have quite often been more expensive than the base car, take the old 3.5R - the demo had everything, but if you ditched the sequential gearbox you'd save a packet. The recent Nomad R was fitted with Ohlins, which again weren't standard.

I guess the bigger beef for the 4 is that in default 320 guise it doesn't feel as fast as the supercharged 3.5, and so the above 5K price hike is probably more like 8K.

What we can't avoid though is with the increasing prices, we may not all be Ariel's future customers.

[Anon]

You do make a very interesting point. It irritates me also that the perceived market price of the Atom 4 is £40k. I challenged the factory on this point and they said it's to keep the price low for entry, and this suits all budgets. But then someone that spec's a basic £40k Atom 4 pulls up along side a £80k Atom 4, they are going to feel a little hard done by especially when they are lapping 3s a lap slower. So it feels like a false economy, because guess what that person does? they upgrade the crappy brakes, suspension, gearbox etc. It doesn't help that certain parts have a huge markup either. But that said, when my car has the sequential box fitted it will have costed me about £80k. That (if my maths are correct) is double the £40k. It is a lot of money, but to me it is worth it. The car is just amazing and I haven't even been on track with it yet. To say it's underwhelming is quite simply shocking, it is far from that.

The other thing to look at is what can I get instead for £80k that is as interesting, performs equally as well and looks as amazing, to me at least the choice is small and comprises only of: the Ultima RS and I am getting one of those anyway, but perhaps probably a Radical but this will not be a new Radical RXC - they cost £150k, it would be a second hand one or maybe a SR8, I can get one of those rebuilt for about £50k and it will leave any Atom on track for dust, but cannot be driven on the road, which is part of the appeal of the Atom 4.

So it's all relative. The Atom is now really a proper super car, and almost super car money if you compare it to lambos, Ferrari etc. The difference between the Atom 3.5 and Atom 4 is the options list on the Atom 4 is much more vast with a lot more costly options.

[reg]

Yes, but let's be honest here. We have gone from a very linear powerplant which was an utter joy to extend to the newer boosted engine which whilst massively torquey doesn't really suit the car IMHO. A Radical, any Radical will leave the 4 for dust, which begs the question is an Atom 4 40K better than the 3.5. For me, it's just not.

edit.... and there is no such car as a 40K Atom 4.

[Anon]

Yes, but let's be honest here. We have gone from a very linear powerplant which was an utter joy to extend to the newer boosted engine which whilst massively torquey doesn't really suit the car IMHO. A Radical, any Radical will leave the 4 for dust, which begs the question is an Atom 4 40K better than the 3.5. For me, it's just not.

edit.... and there is no such car as a 40K Atom 4.

I agree what you are saying from a certain perspective but in my view the new car does not suit a manual gearbox, I actually really dislike the manual gearbox in this car. There is just too much torque and power, you have to have a sequential gearbox for it to make sense. I think the Atom 4 will probably be quicker than the SR1 if driven by a competent driver. SR3 and SR8 no chance.