Greetings; and Few Questions

[rider]

I get in without standing on the seat and the wheel on.

Sit on the chassis.
One leg in. In front of the seat.
Hold chassis and put other leg in.
Lower yourself in...

Easy!

Good to know this is an option. Thanks. What's the reverse process to get out?

I’d rather not sit on the chassis over fear of scratching it with buttons from your jeans etc.

Yeah, not just from buttons and stuff; but, any regular physical contact and pressure will cause scuff marks and blemishes very quickly. You can mitigate it by wrapping that section with clear tape; probably like Paint Protection Film.

........… I really don’t think it’s the kind of car for a germaphobe who doesn’t want to stand on the seat . You may want to look at some other options?

As a germaphobe, there are tons of things I have problem with in every day life. I deal with them and find alternate ways. For example, I use napkins/paper to open door knobs and such. As a motorcycle rider, getting splattered with bugs and debris is a way of life! From what I can tell, without actually seeing an Atom in person, let alone try getting into one, this problem seems solvable. Then there is always Seven 420R! But, having them both would be super cool!

To avoid damaging the seat I am using a piece of insulation mat. You can just replace it when it becomes dirty or ugly.
Just an idea and there are certainly more beautiful ways to do it

Thanks for the picture. This is the first time I've seen such an angle showing the seat and steering wheel. Now I see how challenging it would be without stepping on the seat, especially when getting out. My challenge would be sitting on the seat after stepping on it with street shoes, besides, of course, dirtying the seat itself. Are you sliding with a mat?

Thanks for everyone.

[Ben_payne]

Process for getting out is the reverse of getting in. It probably helps that I've got quite long legs.

UK cars have PPF or something on the section of the chassis from new.

[Ben_payne]

*this section

[JT1020]

Personally I don’t think standing on the seat for a second to enter the car is your issue… it’s where your hands go afterwards, like on the alcantara steering wheel etc.
You can br creative a fabric padded seat made with an extended bit where you can flip up and down for when you get in and out of the car to stand on.
IMO the caterams look a lot more like kit cars and the Ariel’s look damn cool lol.

Yeh you get clear PPF tape on the chassis but it still gets scratched (but easily replaced).

[K20A2]

My challenge would be sitting on the seat after stepping on it with street shoes, besides, of course, dirtying the seat itself. Are you sliding with a mat?

What I did before was putting a similar mat on the seat just before entering, stepping on it with both feet, then leaning on arms on chassis and middle part of the seat, then both feet to final position and while "falling" into the seat pulling away the mat.
May sound way more complicated than it actually is.

What I learned from passengers trying to avoid stepping on the seat, that it may cost you a mirror from time to time

Alternatively you could perhaps look for antibacterical mats, which are available for different applications e.g. refrigerators. Not sure if that may be helpful.

[rider]

Process for getting out is the reverse of getting in. It probably helps that I've got quite long legs.

UK cars have PPF or something on the section of the chassis from new.

I've short legs!! So, I'm hosed!

PPF at vulnerable sections of the chassis is helpful. Good on Ariel to provide it standard (or, even an option).

.......
You can br creative a fabric padded seat made with an extended bit where you can flip up and down for when you get in and out of the car to stand on.
IMO the caterams look a lot more like kit cars and the Ariel’s look damn cool lol.

............

Yeah, I'm leaning toward having a rug/mat placed on the seat, stand on it to sit in, once in, pull the mat out. Follow in reverse order to get out.

As for the Seven, aren't they Kits per se? Many states in the US, especially California where I plan to move back to at some point, allow registration under Kit/Specialty Cars category. Dealers charge for the rolling chassis and powertrain separately. The final assembly is done by an independent shop. But, agree with you; Atom looks pretty cool. With Aero package, it's like a two-seater F1 car for the street! Love it. At the same time, a Seven sits at the opposite end of the styling. It's like the time stood still from the 60s which is one of the reasons I love that as well. My ideal automotive roadmap is to have them both.

..........
What I learned from passengers trying to avoid stepping on the seat, that it may cost you a mirror from time to time
........

But, why does a passenger need to step on the seat? Since there isn't the steering wheel, don't you have plenty of space for the passenger to get in and out rather comfortably?

[JT1020]

Passenger has to step on the seat because the main footwell is under the dash area.

Good luck with your choice of weapon for the roads, send pics of whatever you go for

[rider]

Oh man, that's a blow! I didn't anticipate this issue. I can do the dance for ingress/egress. But, I don't wanna make my girl or anyone else to go through that as the passenger. I'm super bummed! That's why it is super critical to touch and feel a car like Atom before pulling the trigger. It's not a Porsche which you can pretty much blindly trust by reading reviews.

Thanks a ton for sharing all the details. I may be able to find a mitigation. May be, the passenger can use a mat/rug to step on, then pull it out before sitting down, just like the driver. Something like that. I've some thinking to do.

[JT1020]

Yeh it sounds like you’d be more suited to a car, maybe convertible, with doors.

[jensenracing77]

I did not read all the replies but for getting in and out, how about little elastic bowl covers to put on each shoe as you step in and out? May sound silly but I have seen people do that in other situations.

[JT1020]

I once seen a guy I used to work with who was Ford daft, and he got his focus RS and asked a girl to put on they elasticated show protectors on to protect the mats

Gotta use protection lol

[rider]

Yeh it sounds like you’d be more suited to a car, maybe convertible, with doors.

Well, I've three of those...! (see my signature) I need something hardcore! But, "hardcore" comes with a price....! They always do!

I did not read all the replies but for getting in and out, how about little elastic bowl covers to put on each shoe as you step in and out? May sound silly but I have seen people do that in other situations.

Funny, I actually thought about it! We call them "shoe covers or booty". I have those. When a maintenance person visits the apartment, I have him wear those since I have strict "no foot wear" policy! They can't remove the shoes for safety and insurance reasons. So, yeah, that's an option. However, after a person puts on those, he/she might first need to stand on the street before stepping on the seat, probably. The process can be refined for better.

I once seen a guy I used to work with who was Ford daft, and he got his focus RS and asked a girl to put on they elasticated show protectors on to protect the mats

Gotta use protection lol

Hope they are still dating each other....! But, I suspect he got the priorities right.....! But, yeah, protecting the mat is plain silly!

[JT1020]

Have you looked at the Exocet cars? I almost bought one for about £15k (fraction of the cost of an atom) but it has similar power with Ford engine.

[Ben_payne]

But looks like an Atom rip off.

With all the same issues for the OP I think.

[JT1020]

It does look like that have tried to do similar, and IMO it doesn’t look as badass. But it’s an option if you are financially stricken I suppose. I have seen 3 seaters with Subaru engines too…
Again remarkably similar style of machine

https://djcsportscars.co.uk/v-storm-wr3/