That’s right, The Stig is once again roaming free at Dunsfold, and in this eight-part series we’ve gathered, well, eight cars, to set new timed Power Laps at the Top Gear Test Track.
So far, we’ve seen the Koenigsegg Jesko Attack, Ford SuperVan 4.2 and Porsche 911 GT3 RS set lap times, all wildly different types of vehicles, but all with huge big splitters and wings sprouting from them. Today’s contender is no different!
It’s the Ariel Atom 4R, and this particular one has had many options thrown at it, including carbon wings and panels and a pneumatic six-speed sequential gearbox. This one's on forged wheels and steel discs, but you can have those in carbon too. It costs about £140,000 with all options, almost double the standard 4R.
But what price progress? Thirteen years ago a first-generation Atom fitted with a 500bhp V8 blitzed the TG track in 1:15.1. This new one might have an inferior power-to-weight ratio and half the cylinders, but brakes, tyres and aero have come a long way. Over to Top Gear’s Editor-in-Chief, Jack Rix, and The Stig…
MORE ABOUT TOP GEAR: Welcome to the official home of Top Gear on YouTube. Here you'll find all the best clips from your favourite episodes, whether that’s Ken Block drifting London in the Hoonicorn, Chris Harris in the latest Porsche 911 GT3 or classic Top Gear clips from Clarkson, Hammond and May. You'll also find the latest performance car reviews from the TopGear.com crew, our brand new series American Tuned with Rob Dahm and the fastest power laps from our in house performance benchmark: The Stig.
The Stig tests the Ariel Atom 4R on the Top Gear track, aiming to beat the previous record set by the Atom V8. Despite having less horsepower, the 4R's advanced aerodynamics and chassis allow it to achieve a stunning lap time of 1:13.7, surpassing several high-performance supercars and the previous Atom record.
Welcome to the Top Gear test track.
This is Stig Laps,
and that's the Ariel Atom 4R.
In this series, we're running the latest and greatest performance cars
and placing them on the all-time leaderboard.
But the challenge remains the same.
Give Stig the keys to your car if you think you're faster than him.
And this angry-looking collection of scaffolding poles and wings
is what Stig's going to be grappling with today.
It's called the Ariel Atom 4R,
and it is the wildest incarnation yet of the cheek-flapping Atom.
Well, maybe since the insane 500-horsepower Atom V8,
which in 2011 set a time on this track of 1.15.1,
and that's the time that Stig's going to be gunning for here today.
At his disposal, a 400-horsepower version
of the 2.0-litre turbo from the Honda Civic Type R.
This car can do 0-60 in 2.7 seconds,
0-100 in 6.5,
and a top speed of 170 miles an hour.
Rapid.
Best to think of the one we have here as the Atom 4R Plus.
It's had everything thrown at it,
from carbon panels and wings to Ohlins four-way adjustable dampers
and a pneumatic Quaife six-speed sequential gearbox.
It costs from about 140 grand if you tick every box,
although, interestingly, this one skips the carbon wheels and ceramic brakes
for forged wheels and steel discs.
Go for the standard 78 grand 4R and you get no wings, no carbon panels,
and you make do with Bilstein dampers and Honda's six-speed manual gearbox.
So, same power, less control.
Fortunately for the Stig, we've gone for the one with the downforce.
Before we get to the lap, then, some analysis of the Atom's strengths and weaknesses.
OK, so here we are between the second-to-last corner and Gambon over there,
and to be honest, if the Stig's kept this on the tarmac this long,
I'll be seriously impressed.
I've actually driven the Atom 4R,
and despite the fact that you've got 110 kilograms of downforce at 70 miles an hour,
you've got ABS, you've got seven-stage traction control to play with,
it's a bit of a white-knuckle ride.
And this point here is a spinning hotspot,
because as you come steaming off the straight,
turning in hot on the brakes, there's a surface change,
and therefore, a grip change that you've got to deal with.
And then the car wants to drift wide here, using as much of the track as possible,
but without dipping a tyre onto the grass
and setting yourself up nicely for the final corner and across the line.
Whatever happens, I've got a feeling we're about to see some seriously impressive driving.
Best of luck.
Pep talk complete, it was time for the Stig to get battered by the wind.
Three, two, one, go.
Lovely bit of wheel spin away from the line there.
Slightly workmanlike note of that two-litre turbo,
but then every car can't have a Valkyrie V12, can it?
Can this 4R put its stamp on history?
Can it go quicker than the V8?
It's got 115.1 to beat.
To be fair, it's 100 horsepower down on the V8,
so the Stig is going to have to bring his A-game.
Bring it on.
There was something just terrifying about driving an aeroatom.
It must be the wind or the exposure or the free-fall acceleration,
but fortunately, Stig doesn't feel fear.
There he goes, taking a nice chunk of the grass verge on the way through.
Definitely got air.
Right, let's see that again from Stig's point of view,
and this time with the clock.
Three, two, one, go.
A 113.7.
Got to be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be that quick,
but then Stig never fails to surprise.
Okay, so the headline is despite a sizeable power deficit,
it's absolutely smashed the Atom V8's 115.1 time
by almost a second and a half,
and that's light years around this track.
But not only that, it's dusted the BAC Mono, the Pagani Huayra,
and equaled the McLaren 675LT.
Those are some solid gold scalps
for a minuscule car company from the West Country.
That, my friends, was genuinely impressive.
And here's what happened when Stig wasn't concerned
about neat and tidy lap times anymore.
Light the touch paper, stand well back.
Next time on Stig Laps.
