Bonjour! Potential owner from Chamonix, France

[DriveAlpine]

Hello Atom Club,

Seeking Ariel Atom (or Nomad) owners within 100-200km of Chamonix, France ideally to have a passenger ride on road.  Swiss or Italian based owners included in the mix! 

I enjoyed 30 minutes of Atom wheel time with Palmer Sport event at Bedford aerodrome in December 2016.  That day confirmed by desire to purchase a Caterham Seven, however the most intense vehicle was the Atom, so am now looking to source one back in the UK in preparation for European alpine driving in 2018.  Planning on 245 bhp, as 137 bhp in my Caterham was plenty to learn the handling limits this year. 

Couple of questions: 
1.  Are windscreen & side panels available from Ariel?
2.  Can a roll cage be purchased and fitted to any Atom 3, or must the frame be pre-ordered at manufacture? Palmer Sport cars felt more secure than my Seven does. 
3.  How common are ambidextrous chassis? 
4.  If purchased privately in UK, would it be worth booking it into Ariel for full inspection prior to relocating it to France for the following 12 months? 

Thank you in advance,
Roger

[John Scherrer]

1.  Are windscreen & side panels available from Ariel?

Yes, ideally the Windscreen fits the Atom 3, but some owners have been able to fit one to the '2'
Side panels are available, provided the previous owner didn't request the chassis mounting tabs be deleted at chassis build time.

2.  Can a roll cage be purchased and fitted to any Atom 3, or must the frame be pre-ordered at manufacture? Palmer Sport cars felt more secure than my Seven does.

Yes, it is a bolt on item. There is a 2nd option which is an FIA spec welded in part which is done at build time. It would be quite destructive to fit the welded roll bar post build.

3.  How common are ambidextrous chassis?

Not very common at all, however the factory can modify a car to fit the ambidextrous parts.

4.  If purchased privately in UK, would it be worth booking it into Ariel for full inspection prior to relocating it to France for the following 12 months?

Yes, in fact this is highly recommended for any car, unless the car is being sold by the factory on an owner's behalf. They wouldn't normally want to sell a car unless it was in A1 condition.

 

[DriveAlpine]

Thank you John (and Alain for PM),

I enjoyed the club's report of their trip through Spain and Portugal, the photos and videos of which confirmed my desire for a Nomad over an Atom (as already own sports cars with little ground clearance).

I have since paid a deposit on a pre-owned Ariel Nomad, the vehicle that attracted me back to the brand this year. 

Looking forward to collection day in UK later this month, followed by 800 mile drive home to the Alps 
 
Bon weekend,
Roger

[jpswift]

great place to own a ariel roger !

[DriveAlpine]

Thank you for good advice last year!

Pre-owned Ariel Nomad purchased in September directly from the factory in Somerset. Chassis converted to Left Hand Drive and Hydraulic Handbrake added along with a few other extras in the spring.

Happy to meet fellow club members who are resident or passing by Chamonix-Mont-Blanc!

Drive safe,
Roger

instagram @drivealpine

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[John Scherrer]

Yay ! Great news Roger - Welcome!