FourFather

I am very much still in Texas. I opened my http://www.eddiehillsfuncycles.com dealership here in Wichita Falls in 1966, and I'm not interested in living anywhere else. I would appreciate a notification, if my Ariel Atom would indeed be welcome. But if the folks want to keep it all 7, I can certainly understand and appreciate that. (When I went to our two AtomFests, there were no other car brands there.) Thanks for the thought. Eddie:seeya:

I do have the factory-supplied roll bar. It is an easy bolt-on, or in my case I should say an easy UN-bolt, 'cause I took it off right away when the car arrived. At that time, I had no plans to track the car, so off it came. But it could go back on in ten minutes, and would be good insurance. Good thought, thanks. Eddie:flag:

Here's one from Hallett in 08--with Randy Lamp and me playing, and voluntarily swapping lead, from time to time. At the first of this, mine is the one in front- Eddie:Chevy_anim:

Yep. First in the Fours, or Father of the fours. NOT 'cause I'm old :willy_nilly: Oh---wait-- Eddie:D

Johnson Space Center in Houston is where we had our sim time. Quite a treat. Thanks for the welcome and the congrats. Hard to believe the First in the Fours was on 4/9/88, over 22 years ago. 4.990 @ 288.55--on 4/9/88: "The day that seemed to demand It" Eddie

Thank you. The tires are Hoosier Formula Atlantic. 23.0x9.5R-15 fronts which scuff a full 9 1/2 inches: and the rears are 23.5x13.0R15 which scuff a full 13.0 inches!! On special-for-this-car Keizer ultralight, magnesium center, three piece wheels, with the wheels having the offset I wanted to widen the track of the car, to help cornering. I go by myself to the track, so no crew to measure temps like the pros do. After a cooldown lap, and driving back to my parking spot and getting unbuckled and out of the car and getting the non-contact temp gun, the most I see is about 135 degrees. I think these are too wide for me to get to ideal, which is probably more like 175-200 or so. It does seem to respond better the harder I push it, which to me means more spirited driving= better (higher) tire temps. No estimate of power with the upgrades, but it had 252 at the tire before, and everything I'm doing should help, and with another 750-1000 rpm more to play with, should eliminate upshifting on three straights at Hallett, which, by itself, should help some. And the 10 pound or so lighter flywheel should shorten shift time by letting the engine slow down to synchronization speed quicker. You said you'd like to drive an Atom at some point. I am now the Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas authorized dealer for the Ariel Atom 3, which are now all Honda type "R" 2.0 liter six-speeds, and I have my new personal/demo supercharged 300 HP, with carbon fiber wings front and rear, ordered, and it is probably going to be here sometime late August. I dearly love seeing the grin on the face of whoever drives (or even rides in) one of these. So when my demo arrives, we need to talk! Eddie:flag:

Thanks for the brag. You ain't gonna believe this, but I actually have piloted the space shuttle-- simulator -, and my wife Ercie did too. I was not aware of it 'till then, but when you are coming in for a landing, you make a complete 360 degree left hand turn, which gives you a chance to make whatever corrections needed to put the shuttle exactly where you want it at that point in the landing pattern. Which is a GOOD thing, 'cause there is NO power, and NO go-around, so you have to nail it, every time. I don't think very many civilians get to pilot the shuttle simulator:driving:, and it was a huge thrill and blessing for both of us! Eddie:flag:

Actually, I have hand-piloted (autopilot disengaged) a Learjet 25D at just over 600MPH, and am trying to learn to fly Radio Controlled models. I'll see if I can post a video of my one of my R/c planes, doing a vertical hover, something most folks don't see all that often- http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j169/FourFather/Eddie%20Hill%20RC%20Planes/th_EddieHillsYakandBME110huckininWichi.jpg Eddie:flag:

Thank you, sir, for the welcome and kind words. My Atom Ecotec came as the 245hp (flywheel) version. I tweaked it a bit by running the stock supercharger a little faster, water/methanol injection, HPTuners computer tuning, better exhaust, etc. and we dynoed it at 252 to the tires. I ran my 1.19's like that. My Ecotec engine is all apart now, for heavy-duty Darton sleeves, Diamond forged pistons, Harrop 1.3 liter screw-type supercharger,(instead of the 1.0 liter roots-type Eaton), Comp Cams, CNC ported head by M2Race, Carrillo rods, Centerforce aluminum flywheel, etc. Should be fun!:Chevy_anim: Eddie:flag:

If I am taking someone with me, in 100 degree ambient temp, and we want to be comfortable and/or listen to tunes, it would have to be the Ford GT, the only one of the three with refrigerated air, and sound system. And, although I may never actually have a chance to run it top speed, it will run over 200 mph. And it has the best acceleration, of the three cars, from 150 to over 200. So, for comfort, or for over 150 mph, the Ford GT. It is also content to go as slow as you want, like in traffic, with no protest. The Ultima CanAm has the best power to weight ratio, 569 HP at the tire and about 2100 pounds, and has the best acceleration from 100 to 150 mph, and it corners and stops really well, so if the track is long enough to allow anywhere near 150, it is a hoot! For a drive downtown, or in traffic, it is a bit too radical, or maybe a bit too much overkill, performance-wise, to be a very good choice. It just wants to really GO, all the time, to be happy, or in it's element. It is happiest and most fun on track. But from 0 to 130 mph, in decent weather, passenger or not, I pick the Ariel Atom, which is the one most like a 7! And it has more miles on it than the other two cars combined. And I bought all three at the same time. Over 6000 miles and smiles on the Atom. At about 1350 pounds, it is just so quick and agile and responsive it is hard to believe. It makes the Ultima, at 2100 pounds, feel heavy, by comparison. (Which it is!) The Atom corners so well, and so effortlessly, it is an absolute joy on the road race track. Over two gee on my TraqMate data recorder, in both right and left hand turns, when I have slicks on it! And it is perfectly happy to just putter around, but does 0 to 60 quicker than the other two, and without drama or tire spin, it just goes! In fact, I had so much fun the first three years I had my Atom, that I applied for a dealership, and am now an Authorized Ariel Atom Dealer! Eddie:flag:

I'm not sure whether you are asking about the Gulf blue and orange Ford GT coupe? Or the black full-bodied roadster, which is an Ultima CanAm? I like all three cars a LOT, but which one are you most interested in, and are you talking about track? or street? This one, the Ariel Atom, is by FAR the lightest, at about 1350 pounds, and so far has been the most fun, especially on the road race course. http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j169/FourFather/Eddie%20Hill%20Ariel%20Atom/B-021-1.jpg Eddie:flag:

Hello, folks, I'm Eddie Hill, "FourFather", and a brand new rookie member here. Thank y'all for all the kind words, warms the old ticker.:blush: I don't own a 7, but sometimes I Google myself just to see if anyone has anything to say about my rides, or me, and saw this thread. About this ad- http://www.flowmastermufflers.com/index.php?page=95 And the ad had a typographical error, where they listed my Atom track record as "120.6 seconds", which would be over two minutes, and dead slow. And it should have read the way the TraqMate datalogger shows it in the picture in the ad, 1:20.6, which is, of course, One minute and 20.6 seconds. The ad is now corrected. And I have since turned three consecutive laps in the One minute, 19 second range--turning corners is pretty new to me and it is taking a while to get the hang of it, but HUGE FUN!!:hurray: Thanks for listening to my first post- Eddie:flag: