Atom 4 - Spec advice please?

[Finlay]

Will be having a passenger ride in an Atom 4 soon (thanks Alastair!) and incase I like it enough having been looking at the spec spreadsheets (as you do!).

Cars purpose would be an adrenaline hit with almost exclusive road use. Being not too far from retirement now and it being a 4th car I don’t want to go mad, so £53/4K max spend. Was thinking of the following:

Screen (does it need to be heated)?
350 upgrade
Boost control
Traction control
ZZS road Avons
Reverse cam
Perspex Side panels
Standard brakes
Standard shocks
High level brake light
Gear bush upgrade
Cruise control ;-)

Appreciate any thoughts bearing in mind my budget/use plans.

Cheers guys

[mynamesnotbob]

I’d recommend Ohlins TTX over any other option TBH, the 4 on TTX is one of the best damped car I’ve driven, even if it meant waiting on 350 kit. Boost controller I could happily live without, TC to don’t have and haven’t died.

If it’s a 4th car you won’t pick it to drive in the rain, so TC not needed IMO. Same for tyres get A052s

If tracking more I would get traction for damp days

[AlanP]

Whatever I was getting I'd want the best brakes. Standing on them, is as exhilarating as the cornering or accelerating in my mind. Repeated full on braking with no fade is a great pleasure.
A

[Fastlane]

I agree with the above - I'd spec the Ohlins & Alcons above everything else, especially as they are very expensive to upgrade after build. The windscreen, 350 upgrade, side panels etc can be added on at a similar cost as and when finances allow/you want them. (The standard mirros are horrible BTW, but you can get the "Machined Aluminium Wing Mirror Set" (AKA the Rizoma RS) for well under £200 online, but without the etched Ariel logo).

FYI There is a 69 reg Atom 4 "Coming Soon" on Collecting Cars, which has a windcreen, Alcons but standard Bilsteins.

[Finlay]

Thanks guys. I suspect Ariel have been reading the Porsche playbook on how to squeeze money out of us in “extras”!

That CC Atom sounds like one I saw for sale recently at £58K. Any guesses on how much it will
Make in auction?

[mynamesnotbob]

Difference is each option makes a difference. Porsche annoys me with options that cost a fortune, do very little but it seems you can’t sell without E.g. sports chrono

CC isn’t great for Ariel or Lotus sales, often snapped up by dealers at around retail, then appear at a dealer with 10k on a few days later. Always exceptions though, but they never seem to go for silly money like other brands

[kelvin12382003]

I’d recommend Ohlins TTX over any other option TBH, the 4 on TTX is one of the best damped car I’ve driven, even if it meant waiting on 350 kit. Boost controller I could happily live without, TC to don’t have and haven’t died.

If it’s a 4th car you won’t pick it to drive in the rain, so TC not needed IMO. Same for tyres get A052s

If tracking more I would get traction for damp days

Hey, is it really worth upgrading to a052 than the standard tyre (no cost option one ) ?


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[mynamesnotbob]

Hey, is it really worth upgrading to a052 than the standard tyre (no cost option one ) ?


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Personally yes. I’ve used them on other cars not just Atom and they are stunning tyres. Outrageous grip for a road legal, not scary in the cold compared to say R888s, good feel, etc.
I always used to run track wheels and road wheels on my other cars, since switching to A052s they just stay on as they work well in all but downpours. Main downside is they wear quite quickly
In my group they are referred to as ‘cheat tyres’, bolt a set on and you find a bunch of time

[Finlay]

Difference is each option makes a difference. Porsche annoys me with options that cost a fortune, do very little but it seems you can’t sell without E.g. sports chrono

CC isn’t great for Ariel or Lotus sales, often snapped up by dealers at around retail, then appear at a dealer with 10k on a few days later. Always exceptions though, but they never seem to go for silly money like other brands

I agree, have watched a few Lotus going through CC and never seem to make “the money”.

That Atom would be around £50K give or take new just now. I do Wonder if the lack of 350 kit and traction/boost control affect resale significantly? (Don’t know enough about the cars to understand that). Plus it’s 2 year old and next owner will be number 3. There’s a 5% premium (plus VAT) for buyers also so, will it break list inc premium I wonder?

[salvechris]

After more than a year on track and road there are some things that in my mind are very useful and some are nice to have.
and also as mentioned before. What stuff is good to go in the fist phase of ticking boxes because they cost a lot of money to do it afterwards
so my ticked boxes to get well under 60 k would look like this

Atom 4 320bhp 6 Speed
Limited Slip Differential
Lightweight Flywheel
Adjustable Traction Control inc Launch Control
Baffled Engine Oil Sump
High Performance Sports Core Engine Coolant Radiator
High Performance Sports Core Turbo Intercooler
AP Racing 4 Pot Caliper/290mm Discs (inc handbrake) Front and Rear
Black Brake and Clutch Lines with Stainless Steel Fittings
Cockpit Adjustable Remote Brake Bias
Ohlins TTX 3 Way Adj. Inline Remote Reservoir Dampers
3" Seat Belts/Harnesses With Alloy Chest Adjusters (each side)
3" Seat Belt/Harness Pads
V Type Crutch Strap for 3" Seat Belts/Harnesses
Stainless Steel Fixings
Aero Screen
High-Level Brake Light
Locking Fuel Cap
12v. Auxiliary feed with USB socket
Reversing Camera System
Passenger + clutch footrest (Passenger footrest only on Left Hand Drive)