Re: Atoms

[BrunnyS1]

Has any body seen one in the flesh or driven one. ?

[MoPho]

Nope

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs229.snc1/7622_132325008900_842533900_2432849_3217779_n.jpg

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs209.snc1/7622_136266108900_842533900_2469984_3336208_n.jpg

 

 

What do you want to know?

 

 

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Edited July 26, 2010 by MoPho

[BrunnyS1]

everything

[MoPho]

Can you be more specific?

 

There is probably close to a dozen or so Atoms running around here in SoCal.

I only had a brief drive in one a few years ago, it was a Brammo/Ecotec car, and didn't get to drive it in anger, but it was pretty neat.

My friend owns a proper UK built Atom (the one next to my car in the first picture) with the supercharged Honda motor (300+hp) and we go chasing each other through the canyons all the time. He has more than 100hp on me and is an ex professional race driver, not to mention he a bigger death wish than I do, so he usually sees me off.

Most of the cars in the US were built by Brammo motorsports in Oregon and had a GM ecotec motor that was either 245hp or 300hp depending on spec. The cars are now being built by a company called TMI in VA and they've changed the spec a bit and are now using the Honda motors.

 

They are extremely quick but are known for having tricky snap over steer handling since it is rear engined (think 911 Porsche), but the suspension is also infinitely adjustable and they can be dialed in nicely if you know what you are doing.

 

As you can imagine, when we take both cars out together, it creates quite the stir, but I would say the Atom draws more attention, it is just so wild looking. It is also much bigger and wider than my Caterham.

 

A while back we took a friend of ours who is a designer for GM out in both cars and he liked the Caterham better, said it was more raw and exciting http://www.websmileys.com/sm/sad/533.gif

 

 

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[beagley]

I'm officially jealous of you Mopho.....

[supersportsp]

So, here is a question sparked by MoPho's response. I have never thought of an Atom as being rear engined like a 911. To me, it is a mid-engine car, with the engine being in front of the rear wheels. But, it is very close to the rear wheels compared to say a traditional

'supercar' that we think of as mid-engined like an F430.

 

Rear-engined cars to me are things like bugs, 911s, Corvairs, Hillman Imps etc. Many of the newer front-engined cars of high performance varieties have taken to calling themselves front-mid-engined. Cars like the 599 GTB etc, where the front mounted motor is clearly behind the front wheels.

[MoPho]

So, here is a question sparked by MoPho's response. I have never thought of an Atom as being rear engined like a 911. To me, it is a mid-engine car, with the engine being in front of the rear wheels. But, it is very close to the rear wheels compared to say a traditional

'supercar' that we think of as mid-engined like an F430.

 

Rear-engined cars to me are things like bugs, 911s, Corvairs, Hillman Imps etc. Many of the newer front-engined cars of high performance varieties have taken to calling themselves front-mid-engined. Cars like the 599 GTB etc, where the front mounted motor is clearly behind the front wheels.

 

 

You could certainly argue that it is mid engined, and perhaps "technically" it is, but the rear wheels are the farthest back part of the car and the engine practically sits on top of the wheels. The weight distribution on an Atom is 40/60 f/r, a 911 is 38/62

 

http://www.nutleysports.co.uk/ArielAtom-Orange4.jpg

 

http://www.nutleysports.co.uk/ArielAtom-Orange6.jpg

 

Not suggesting that the handling is bad, just that it is supposedly tricky at/above the limit like 911s, and according to many, they need a lot of dialing in from the factory suspension settings. Makes for good traction though

 

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[Kitcat]

Weight distribution of the mid-engined Lotus Elise is 37-63.

[MoPho]

Weight distribution of the mid-engined Lotus Elise is 37-63.

 

That car has tricky handling and spins easily too

 

 

to add, it has an engine layout similar to the atom, it just has more bodywork in the back

 

http://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elise/information/press/magazine/magazine2005/datasheets.jpg

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Edited July 26, 2010 by MoPho

[supersportsp]

You could certainly argue that it is mid engined, and perhaps "technically" it is, but the rear wheels are the farthest back part of the car and the engine practically sits on top of the wheels. The weight distribution on an Atom is 40/60 f/r, a 911 is 38/62

 

Weight distribution doesn't tell you where the engine is located though. You could make a 911 50/50 if you wanted. Plenty of front engine cars have achieved 50/50 weight balance.

 

The Atom has all of its engine in front of the rear wheels. I think the headers are about the only thing that would break the vertical plane of the rear axles.

[supersportsp]

Not suggesting that the handling is bad, just that it is supposedly tricky at/above the limit like 911s, and according to many, they need a lot of dialing in from the factory suspension settings. Makes for good traction though

 

I have heard similar recounts actually. When Dennis Palatov was building his Atom with the Hartley H1 V8, he spent a good chunk of time fiddling with the suspension. Not only did he create his own uprights for the car to address that weakness, but he also 'corrected' the suspension from being regressive to progressive. Info is here in several of the posts. http://www.dpcars.net/atom/am.htm

 

It would be interesting to take an Atom chassis and have someone like Lotus re-engineer the suspension. Maybe even one of the smaller race car manufacturers like Reynard/Lola. I think there is a lot of potential for improvement.

 

I am shocked at how much smaller your Caterham looks relative to the Atoms. I was chalking it up to a wide angle lens. Is that not the case?

[MoPho]

Weight distribution doesn't tell you where the engine is located though. You could make a 911 50/50 if you wanted. Plenty of front engine cars have achieved 50/50 weight balance.

 

The Atom has all of its engine in front of the rear wheels. I think the headers are about the only thing that would break the vertical plane of the rear axles.

 

I am not really interested in debating the semantics of what constitutes mid engine or rear engine ( like I said you could argue that it is mid engined ), my point was that the engine and all it's weight sits at the very back of the car

 

 

I am shocked at how much smaller your Caterham looks relative to the Atoms. I was chalking it up to a wide angle lens. Is that not the case?

 

Yeah, the Atom is considerably longer and wider than the Caterham, impressively, it is not all that much heavier (about 100lbs)

 

 

My friend installed Ohlins on his and he swears up and down that it made a huge difference

[BrunnyS1]

Morgan,

Thanks for the info and pics, did you ever get to drive one?

Did your friend have a problem getting it registered in Cal?

I see the company that now makes them is producing one with a full screen and wipers and lexan side panels over the frame.

[MoPho]

I have driven one, albeit briefly on a big skid pad, so didn't really get to push it. I've had offers to try my friends but don't want to find out that I NEED one.... :banghead:

 

My friend bought his already registered here ( I think it was one of the first ones here, he paid a lot for it), but it is the same procedure as I had to go through to register the Caterham. There are quite a few Atoms floating around in LA now

 

 

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[Sevnn]

I had the pleasure of attending AtomFest in 2007 (or maybe 2008) at Hallett in Oklahoma. There were about 75 atoms in attendance and they did rides for anyone interested. I hoped for one of the prepped cars but you got in line and when it was your turn, the next car that showed up was your ride. Mine had some pretty relaxed street tires and he wasn't pushing it very hard so we were one of the slower cars on the track.

 

That said, it was a very impressive ride. The car felt very planted and easily controllable (at the level we were driving at). I didn't own my 7 at the time so comparisons are based on memory. It was much "cooler" than the 7, with the motor in the back you get very little engine heat bothering you. There was quite a lot of foot/leg room, it felt much like a dune buggy. The dash bar felt very low and a little awkward.

 

I've heard of issues with the front wheel bearings not holding up to spirited driving but they have most likely fixed that by now. They are definitely very aggressive looking and I'm a huge fan of the design. If I could have bought one for similar $ to the cost of my 7, I would own one now instead. They are quite a lot more expensive though. I've seen them dipping into the very high 30's once or twice but they tend to stay closer to the 50's on the used market for one with a reasonable power plant.