Ariel Ltd
 |
|
| Type | Ltd |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Crewkerne, Somerset, United Kingdom |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Automobiles |
| Employees | 7 |
| Website | http://www.arielmotor.co.uk/ |
Ariel Motors Ltd is a Crewkerne, Somerset, England based low-volume performance motor vehicle manufacturing company.
Founded by Simon Saunders in 1991 as Solocrest Ltd, the name was changed in 2001 to Ariel Motors, although the name change and company have nothing to do with the former Ariel Motorcycles firm.[1] Ariel Motors is one of the UK's smallest automotive companies, with just 7 employees, producing fewer than 100 cars per year.
The company's flagship car is the Ariel Atom, an extremely light, high performance car,[2] powered by a Honda Civic Type-R engine and gearbox. The Atom is the world's first road-going exoskeletal car;[3] it has no bodywork or roof, and is built entirely around the tube chassis, making it extremely lightweight at less than 500 kg (1,102 lb). This means that the high performance supercharged model has a power-to-weight ratio of over 600 bhp (450 kW) per tonne, at a fraction of the cost of a conventional sports car.
In 2011, Ariel announced plans to produce a high performance bespoke motorcycle from summer 2012, powered exclusively by a Honda engine. The proposed 200 units per annum will retail at around £20,000 per bike.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Ariel". Supercar club. http://www.sardrabbit.com/psc/index_files/Page1544.htm. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ "Ariel Atom V8 (2010) First Official Pictures". CAR Magazine. 2010-09-08. http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Search-Results/First-Official-Pictures/Ariel-Atom-V8-2010-first-official-pictures/. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
- ^ "Ariel Atom". Fifty Magazine. http://www.fiftymagazine.com/article/ariel-atom. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/New-bikes/2011/July/jul2711-ariel-back-with-20000-pound-bespoke-bikes/?http://www.motorcyclenews.com/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=emailnl&utm_campaign=MCNMCN%20Newsletter%202%20August%202011%20%281%29
[edit] External links
- www.arielmotor.co.uk Ariel Motor Company Official Website
- www.arielatom.com Ariel Atom North America website
- www.arielmotor.es Ariel Motor Spain website
