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Great car OP!
Make sure you have an agreed value on the insurance and don't crash it!
(they fold up nicely because those lovely looking curved side tubes are not in pure compression........)
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Thought I'd give a wee update on living with an Atom.
It took a while until I got to drive it. Bad weather slowed down the garage building process throughout May so I didn't bring it to its new home til the end of that month.
Initial thoughts were it was easy enough to bimble about in but trying to drive it quicker? I really thought: "What the **** have I done?" I could drive my diesel Focus quicker.
The acceleration was phenomenal. The assault on the senses terrific but cornering induced a sphincter tightening sense of uneasiness that left me concerned that I'd be going backwards through a hedge sometime soon. Getting the thing sideways on cold tyres a few times didn't help along with a few over zealous applications of the throttle that did the same.
Anyway, I persevered and things came together a little more. Then, a long chat with local Atom guru Nev Wood was illuminating. "Treat it like a big bike," he said, "Plan your corners ahead, get your gearchanging and braking done in good time and drive it through the corner. Don't apply the throttle until you've straightened up on exit. Especially in the lower gears."
He talked me through car setup as well and confirmed I was doing everything right. A bit more practice following Nev's advice and I was starting to get on the money.
The Atom has a lot of engine braking - like a bike - and is very torquey too so it's easy to drive without changing gear too much. You can make pretty rapid progress without too much fuss and you find yourself having fun without having to hit very high speeds. There's always that mad loud pedal to give you a giggle on the straights or overtaking.
It makes you a more courteous driver too. You don't need to press on and keep your speed up because you've got so much acceleration to despatch slower vehicles or just get back up to speed after slowing down for hazards.
Every drive is an event. I feel a tingle of excitement before every outing. People point and wave so you wave back. All the time. When you stop, people come up and take photos and ask questions. Every time.
Currently on holiday in Strathconon. Her Indoors brought the kids up in the Galaxy and I brought the Atom. What a hoot! Over the Lecht, Granton-on-Spey to Aviemore then Inverness and Muir of Ord. Just drove up to Gairloch on the A832 past Loch Maree (pic above) then back.
It's very tactile. You can feel (and see) what the car's doing all the time and the feedback is sensational. Her Indoors likes it because it's "like being outside".
So, sorry for going on but now absolutely loving it. I'm smiling behind my mirrored visor on even the most mundane bits of any drive.
The engine braking in my ep3 was so much that I learnt to heel toe, it made for much smoother down changes.
Having driven a caterham and an atom I'd have a caterham. Mainly for the comfy seat. The atom is bonkers in every way. It's a hard thing not to love for the sheer absurdness of it. Fair play!
I get the same cheesy grin driving my vw bay window van. It's daft, expensive, and pointless, it's mainly rust but I love it.
Yeah, been playing about with heel and toeing. I can see it being useful but I'm not very good yet....
Finding the hard plastic seats surprisingly comfy so far. Maybe coz I'm concentrating too hard to notice they're uncomfortable? 😆
Love it! Great update - enjoy!
Not jealous at all, still would love another go in one. Enjoy it!
Every drive is an event. I feel a tingle of excitement before every outing. People point and wave so you wave back. All the time. When you stop, people come up and take photos and ask questions. Every time.
Exactly what a second, fun car should be. Something different to the usual that puts a smile on your face and cheers others up.
Nice to see someone expressing the fun of driving a nice car, which doesn’t always appear allowed here
I bet it’s worth at least £5-10k more than you bought it for at the moment too !
My initial issue with heel toe is that the name is confusing as you definitely don't use your heel! It's more like big toe, little toe. I don't know what the Atoms pedals are like but it can make a difference to how easy it is, I find brake pedal a bit higher than accelerator is ideal. Practicing can make a drive more enjoy but lack of enjoyment probably isn't an issue for you.
Should you ever find yourself in East Lancs, can I have a go?
Thanks for the update. Great write up.
I don’t know what the Atoms pedals are like
Adjustable. Like pretty much everything else on the car.
Blue...that suggests a saw you crossing the milltimber bridge in it last Monday evening ?
Even up here I don't think there are many of those kicking about surely.
Yep. That was me.
Had just come along the Netherley road and was heading into Aberdeen to pick up some wallpaper at B&Q.
(Any excuse for a drive 😆)
Ah, was sat on that bench on Thursday morning with the inlaws. My journey to it in the Skoda yeti 'might' have been mildly different to yours however.....
Also, if you came from Grantown you undoubtedly came past my house on the Grantown-Nairn road.
An atom would definitely be on my toy list if my toy list was allowed to be a little longer. Or a caterham. Up here (Highlands) acceleration to blip around cars and a car that makes going moderately swiftly an event and is good around the bends AND is relatively narrow is infinitely more fun than an out and out monster.
Interesting write up. My initial thoughts on the handling issues you mention was "what tyres". Do you have something that needs some real heat to get them working?
Still looks bonkers but 270mile round trip to a track day yesterday - I was loving my aircon! Still not sure about open cars like the Atom, I'm not sure I'd ever get to use one apart from track days.
Amazing machines I did an experience day in one and found it unreal.
I overtook lambo's Porsches and astons like they were going backwards while I was going up hill.
Mostly ran in 4th to keep the tail behind me, instructor lap was a big eye opener and we got "light" over a crest.
i bet you are having a blast, fair play for convincing the mrs.
Cracking update. Looks like great fun
Heel toe is one of those things that makes a drive fun, even if you're moving relatively slowly, it's just one of the joy of driving a nice manual box (if the pedals are set up helpfully)
Interesting write up. My initial thoughts on the handling issues you mention was “what tyres”. Do you have something that needs some real heat to get them working?
Obviously as this is STW you need to put CrossClimates on your Atom 🙂
I'm glad you are enjoying it. I've driven an Atom a couple of times at track days and they are great fun, halfway between a kart and a big bike.
Up here (Highlands) acceleration to blip around cars and a car that makes going moderately swiftly an event and is good around the bends AND is relatively narrow is infinitely more fun than an out and out monster.
What do you mean by monster though?
It sounds like the sweet spot is something like a Caterham 360, where there is plenty of power, but not silly power.
When OP says that he has been advised that the best way to drive it is to accelerate once your on the straight, that takes away a lot of the fun for me and you may as well be in any Audi RS model. Of course I imagine the Atom is not at all dull through the corners, but it sounds like it just has too much power for a normal driver to be able to push through corners on the road. I guess the track is the only place where you can push a car with that much power.
I imagine the Nomad would be easier to control on road as its more softly sprung, and therefore you can feel the car going sooner.
What do you mean by monster though?
We get quite a few Top Gear wanna be 'grand tours' through here and then up to the NC500. Big Ferraris etc. It all looks too wide to me for easy navigating single carriageways and too spendy if you need to take to the rough passing places. And the ability to blast along at silly speeds is a bit wasted. The only thing to make an atom or a caterham a nause would be the lower ride height possibly reducing your ability to see ahead but that would be the same for all sports car I guess.
I think that's the first time I've seen one with a person in it. They're very wee aren't they!
Living next to Switzerland with alps, scenery, mountain passes and immaculate tarmac I'd love one. I remember seeing the 3.0 V8 version parked in the Ferrari dealership at Fort Kinnaird, Edinburgh... what a thing of beauty with gold frame, wheels and red detail on the black bodywork. Plus the wing and spoilers....
It's either an Atom or Schwimmwagen for my fantasy garage. Well done OP, enjoy it.
Funnily enough I did a driving experience thing at the weekend driving an Audi R8 and an Atom.
Was somewhat surprised that they put me in the Atom first. So they had me heading out on to the track with no knowledge of the track layout (don't think there was even a map pinned up anywhere and none of it was visible from the pits, let alone being given a demo lap or shown a video), hardly able to hear the instructor as we were both obviously helmeted + wind noise. Pretty intimidating! Even with me not knowing where I was heading and being told to keep it in fifth at all times, I still breezed past a Lambo on the first lap.
Would love to own one, but as of last week the new Lotus Emira is top of my mid-life-crisis-car-that-is-perhaps-achievable-one-day list.
When OP says that he has been advised that the best way to drive it is to accelerate once your on the straight, that takes away a lot of the fun for me and you may as well be in any Audi RS model⁰
I should have qualified that better. What I meant was not to mash the throttle exiting bends until I've straightened up. I'm putting the power on in varying degrees. I'm able to tighten the turn slightly with a little more power or counter steer a fraction if I've over done it slightly.
You can feel the back end biting the tarmac as you apply the throttle. Its like a superbike where you gradually feed in the power after the apex but you can't crack it open until you're pretty much upright - unless you're Valentino Rossi, obviously.
Think I'll stick to the 2CV, all of the excitement and none of the danger .
Think I’ll stick to the 2CV, all of the excitement and none of the danger .
Ha ha! I learned to drive in a 2CV! Brilliant car. Awesome suspension and that crazy in dash gear stick.
Not dangerous? Not so sure.
Used to go out with my mates across the stubble fields at night shooting rabbits. Canvas roof rolled back, three of us standing blasting with shotguns while the other one drove.
Plus my dad had an accident in it. It folded like a paper airplane. It was a miracle he wasn't killed.
So, one year on from buying the Atom I thought I'd update things.
I've done 2700 miles. Every one of them enjoyable. It's gone from absolute terror, to controllable fear to slight trepidation to mild concern to mostly enjoyment in the course of those miles.
I've driven it throughout the year but only actually encountered rain on a couple of occasions and have never actually donned my rainsuit that's stuffed behind the seats. I took it off the road in January as it was just too minging to go out.
It sits in a Carcoon Veloce bubble thing - the one with a tent like frame so you can drive in and out. I ran a dehumidifier in there over the winter and a battery conditioner but it probably didn't need either. My £400 building supplies auction plywood & 3"X2" garage is still standing despite the storms.
I do have plug in 12v heated clothing but have used it sparingly. Shorter drives in the cold can be dealt with using Buffalo clothing and decent gloves. As long as your neck is protected the helmet does the job. The side panels that came on the car are a godsend too. I took them off on the summer but put them pretty much straight back on the first long trip I made after that.
My phone sits in a holder so I can use it for navigation and I have Bluetooth headsets in the helmets which also connect to the phone so Comms, phonecalls and music all work well. The phone doesn't require any power but I did wire in 12v power for heated clothing for driver & passenger.
Tyres? It came with two sets of wheels with Yokohama AO52s which are semi slicks. Tons of grip (once they're warmed up) but very soft so the rears wore quickly. The factory recommended AD08Rs for the road so got a set for £350 fitted from Kwikfit of all people. My local branch is full of knowledgeable car & bike enthusiasts so they were great. I prefer the AD08Rs on the road. The 52s never seemed to run out of grip so I didn't know where the limit might be whereas you can feel the 08Rs reaching their limit and moving a little.
I'm way more comfortable driving it now I know what I'm doing. Having it step out on you early on gives you a healthy respect for throttle application. Now I can steer it on the throttle a bit by provoking the back end to slide a little but controllably so. I'm also on the power a lot earlier coming out of corners.
I've taken a lot of people out for rides. They all absolutely loved it! Even people who weren't particularly into cars. You can give people a thrill without needing to do anything silly. The manic acceleration is enough.
So, ownership?
I renewed my insurance for £530. Bit cheaper than last year. Road tax is £20 something per month. Fuel is 30-35mpg of Super unleaded (gulp!) but because the tank is so small it never feels like you're spending that much.
For the service I considered going down to the factory - who are very reasonable cost wise - but decided the time, cost and hassle of the 1200 mile round trip just didn't add up. I went to Nev Wood of Pickwick Performance near Cullen. As well as being a top bloke (and mountain biker), Nev knows everything there is to know about Atoms having built his own 540bhp Beast (!). A service, thorough going over and MOT came in at £519.
Nev reckons driving an Atom is like being a WWII Spitfire pilot. It's exciting when you go out but you're relieved when you get back home!
Most of these figures are considerably cheaper than we've spent on our Galaxy 2.2TDCi over the same period - although we've obviously done a few more miles in that.
I cracked the glass in the left hand wing mirror. They are lovely machined Rizoma mirrors from Italy. The factory could only provide the whole mirror and only in pairs @£300 per pair. I contacted the manufacturer who put me in touch with the importer and I got the replacement glass for £8.
The next project is to re-wrap the panels. The spray on blue film is peeling a little (it's red underneath) so I've got my 6yr to choose a new colour. It'll soon be a Lemon Green Mirror finish!
Thoughts? It's a better road car than I expected. The adjustable suspension makes it very pliable. The Aberdeenshire roads had some serious upgrading & fixing last year so potholes are a rarity. It's more comfortable than I thought too. 3- 4hrs is not hard on you. Every drive is still a treat. Still an assault on your senses. It still gives you a tingle of anticipation each time you climb in. It makes you work each time you drive it but rewards you in equal measure.
If Putin decides to push the big red button, at least I won't be sitting here wondering, "What if....."
nice update , glad you're enjoying it.
Do you just tend to go out for a drive for the fun of a drive, or do you use it as a means to get to a destination?
I have a caterham 7 (had it for over 20 years now) , and I never use it any more, because theres no point going for a drive for the fun of it, because its not fun - too much traffic, too many pot holes, too much chance of losing license etc.
sensational stuff. What a vehicle.
There was a supercharged one a while back at the Goodwood track day i was attending, was raaaaapid!
If i had the money, i would definitely like to experience ownership.
A British Racing Green colour scheme would tickle my fancy.
Do you just tend to go out for a drive for the fun of a drive, or do you use it as a means to get to a destination?
I use it like a big sports bike. Most drives are planned in terms of route and having consulted the weather forecast.
I've taken it on holiday too (with Her Indoors taking the kids in the Galaxy) and then used it for fun when we were there.
I will sometimes take it places as a means of transport but that's usually involved a scenic detour often with a first time passenger.
Being on the edge of the Cairngorms gives me access to great roads with little traffic. If I lived in the Midlands or somewhere I'd never drive it on the road but then there are plenty of tracks to go to instead.
AO52 are great but very soft and I went through a set in 4 track days. I’m running AD08RS on one set of wheels which are good road/wet track tyres but pretty useless on warm tracks. I suspect they will be good for your Atom the way you are using it. I now run R888r on track which last well in lightweight cars, work as well (if not better) than AO52 and are considerably cheaper. Not really for wet/cold roads though.
I have a caterham 7 (had it for over 20 years now) , and I never use it any more, because theres no point going for a drive for the fun of it, because its not fun
After 20 years perhaps you just need a change of vehicle.
Thanks bareneccessities, I wasn't sure how to put a video up.
After 20 years perhaps you just need a change of vehicle.
yeah maybe, I fancied a S2 lotus exige (i used to have an S1 Lotus Elise back in the late 90's) , but I know really I wouldnt use it, I just dont think I'm bothered about fast cars any more. I used to do 10-12 track days per year in the Lotus and the caterham, but they started to get expensive.
My daily driver is a BMW m4 which is fast and comfy, and a nice place to sit, but you cant use it to anywhere near its potential.
these might be worth a look. well priced and pretty darn grippy.
I have a caterham 7 (had it for over 20 years now) , and I never use it any more, because theres no point going for a drive for the fun of it, because its not fun – too much traffic, too many pot holes, too much chance of losing license etc.
Give it to me if you like, or change where you live. I've started looking at Caterham's as plenty of places to use around where I live.
these might be worth a look. well priced and pretty darn grippy.
Maybe its just me, but I dont like grip. Means you end up driving stupid stupid speeds to have any fun. Much prefer low levels of grip. But then thats maybe the problem with an Atom so much power it just makes it a point and shoot car on the road
Doing in research on Caterham's everyone says you dont want the more powerful cars
Nice update though OP - Theres not many cars on the road today that you can drive in the way you describe ie using throttle/steering etc, and its a brilliant feeling when you get a car that you can do that in.
Give it to me if you like, or change where you live. I’ve started looking at Caterham’s as plenty of places to use around where I live.
make me an offer , I could be tempted to sell.....
In all seriousness - if you do think you might want an older one, let me know and I can give you the full spec list plus photos etc - it might be cheaper than you think.
high level specs - 1996 caterham 7 super sprint , de dion rear axle, 200bhp , lcd dash, wide track front, roll cage, caterham AP 4 pot brakes.
Much more detail available if you are interested.
Vid looks great apart from the green gardening gloves 😉
Julians - unfortunately I am not in a position to spend cash right now. Realistically it could be a few months off, I am just getting up to speed on all the various forums etc and keeping an eye on values
Does sound a very good spec though from your initial description
Nice! With the demise of new ICE cars soon, I think long term you'd probably stand to make a bit of money on an Atom.
Sounds like it's basically a big bike, but without the downsides to a bike - better crash protection, recovery from oil/potholes on the road etc but with the same direct feel and wind in your hair feeling.
I sold my bikes late last year, mainly because of the standard of driving here and the chance of one incident due to a patch of oil etc meaning severe consequences, it just wasn't worth the risk. Had a 1000cc vtwin naked and speed wasn't an issue, anything north of 90mph it felt like your head was being ripped from your shoulders by the wind.
If I lived up there with access to those roads and had the money I'd 100% get a weekend car, a 918 GT4 RS would be the lottery winner dream...
Vid looks great apart from the green gardening gloves
Hey! They're MTB gloves! ALDI's finest.....
1996 caterham 7 super sprint , de dion rear axle, 200bhp , lcd dash, wide track front, roll cage, caterham AP 4 pot brakes.
hubba! hubba! ... the one i had a few goes in only had the 1.4 rover in it and about 120hp? and was plenty fast enough to be exeedingly good fun!
are the A052 a replacement for the A048? which i used to use for road tyres on my caterham style kit car(slicks/wets on track) as last i heard the A048's where loosing there road legal status(a few years ago now)
i once made the mistake of going out when it was only just above freezing and soon went home again, no chamce of getting any heat in them and the slightest touch of the throttle spun the rears up. it was worse than monsoon condition sighting laps on cold slicks at oulton park.
i'm not up with current caterham models but the R400 was about the sweet spot for performance/fun( my car was about roughly on an equal pace with one). my mate with an R400 wasn't happy he couldn't leave me around a lap so upped his to R500 spec and while it was very quick he said it lost a lot of the fun out of it and he soon sold it.
it took me about 4 years of using mine road and track to loose the fun of driving on the road and going track only but i'm guessing an atom is probably a bit more civilized on the road than my car was.
i’m guessing an atom is probably a bit more civilized on the road than my car was.
I don't know if you could ever call no roof, no windscreen, no bodywork and no heater civilised!
But yeah I guess the difference is that the Atom is built from the ground up to handle the power plant that's installed whereas I understand Caterhams have just had increasing amounts of power shoehorned into a design that wasn't intended for it. I've only driven lower power variants though so I have no experience to speak from.
TBH the NA 245 Atom is probably ideal for the road rather than the SC 310 (I nearly bought one) but I just wanted to experience that supercharger whine - which is intoxicating!
Due to the rear weight bias you have to work to get some heat in the fronts. "No heroics on cold tyres" was another sage piece of advice I was given. Along with, "As long as you don't drive it like a dick, you'll be fine."
Out of interest, what height/size are you and how much adjustability do you have left in the wheels/pedals?
At 187cm, 88kgs and wide shoulders I wasn't comfortable in a Caterham 7 when I tried. Always had it in my head I'd need the SV chassis, even though realistically it's never been a plausible car option. My F-in-L was even worse being taller, heavier and wider again - he bought a MK Indy (I think?), had it trailered 450miles, but after driving <10 miles knew he was too big! Sold immediately at a profit though.
In a few years I don't expect I'll own a car I drive on the road (van only). Being 30mins from Knockhill and having a garage means I've got a decent starting point for a track toy.
At 187cm, 88kgs and wide shoulders I wasn’t comfortable in a Caterham 7 when I tried.
thats odd - you are basically the same as me and i loved the caterham. i was fine with the soft seats and then with carbon buckets and harnesses. it is a squeeze. but so is the atom.
i’m guessing an atom is probably a bit more civilized on the road than my car was.
there was absolutly nothing civilised abotu the one i drove. nucking futs in every possible way.
the caterham was lovely to drive and i never thought i was going to die. it was significantly less powerful though.
thats odd – you are basically the same as me and i loved the caterham. i was fine with the soft seats and then with carbon buckets and harnesses. it is a squeeze. but so is the atom.
I realise different Caterhams/seats might result in different legroom, but the one I tried I was struggling for legroom particularly - ideally wanted the seat to be further back or pedals further away. I've never sat in an Atom and wondered if they were roomier - ah.
I realise different Caterhams/seats might result in different legroom, but the one I tried I was struggling for legroom particularly – ideally wanted the seat to be further back or pedals further away
The pedals on a caterham are spaced exceptionally closely together to the extent that I need to wear driving shoes (very narrow) to drive it properly, otherwise I catch the brake pedal with my clutch foot etc. It makes heal and toeing relatively easy though.
There is some adjustment in the pedal box of a caterham though, you can move the pedals further away to create more leg room, plus even if the seats are at the limit of their sliding adjustment, there is usually more that can be done by altering the seat mounting points as well.
A standard (not sv) caterham is very small though compared to normal cars.
. Out of interest, what height/size are you and how much adjustability do you have left in the wheels/pedals?
I'm pretty much the same as you. 6'2" and 205lbs with broad shoulders.
Loads of room in the cockpit and footwell. The pedals are adjustable in every way. Wheel is fixed. The seat just goes back and forward on Allen bolts. My rugby playing mate at 6'7" & 19st fits well too.
The new 4s have individual seats but on the 3.5 it's a one piece double seat.
Thanks both, good to know.
TBH something like this is a (very) longshot and definitely not an option while I have a car in addition to a van, but more and more I fail to see much point having my car. Rarely/almost never need it for work so it's already an extravagance. But it's a 4-seat toy with a roof, A/C and a heater so it at least gets used where a 2-seater caterham-type probably wouldn't.
This is great. @OP please get an external mic with a good windsock and do some videos without all the wind noise!
I did a vaguely similar thing last year- bought a supercharged V6 Lotus Evora. Not particularly light, but looks mental in Daytona blue with the big wing on the back. Stupidly loud exhaust and intake giving you so much noise from the supercharger. I got it for a good price and am confident I'll get every penny back, it'll have cost me less than running a 'normal' car- people all assume it's a money pit.
I'd love to get a stripped out lightweight car of some type in the future, when I have the space at home to keep it!
please get an external mic with a good windsock and do some videos without all the wind noise
Yeah that's the first time I've tried the GoPro. Windy isn't it?
I've just bought a windslayer thingy for it to try.
Just read this thread right through with a great deal of interest. Frankly, the OP is showing exactly how a car like the Atom should be used and enjoyed! Basically a four-wheel shits’n’giggles machine. There’s no way I could ever afford one, but should I ever find myself in that position, I don’t think it would be an Atom, the one that gives my heart a little flutter whenever I see a photo is this:
I just love everything about it’s styling, and the fact it’s a road-legal single-seat racing car just makes me grin at the thought. If I could afford one, then I’ve got Castle Combe circuit four miles away, to properly get a feel for it, and lots of fairly decent A-and B-roads around. A British built motor as well.
What's that, new Batmobile?! 🤣
What’s that, new Batmobile?! 🤣
It's a £170k posing pouch with a Ford Galaxy engine. I'd still have one though!
total STW fail that car! No room for a bike rack or a wood burner
What is it? I think we've ruled out the new Batmobile
A lot of money to have to keep explaining to people that you don't have mono, you have a mono...
Been listening to a podcast on Radicals recently. Wonder how a Radical would fare against a BAC mono
Thanks for sharing your experiences on the Atom, they look like great fun
I'm planning to build a Caterham from kit form over this winter and have it on the road in about a year. Threads like this make me happy!
I'd get a nomad R. Crazy thing!
One for sale here, £100k, one of 5 ever built.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/13101051
I’m planning to build a Caterham from kit form over this winter and have it on the road in about a year.
Good luck on that. Sounds like fun.
You don't save a lot of money doing that though do you? More for the cathartic enjoyment of doing the build I guess?
Been listening to a podcast on Radicals recently. Wonder how a Radical would fare against a BAC mono
I had a go in a radical sr3 a good few years back at croft race track ( i think), it was bonkers fast, completely amazing.
I’m planning to build a Caterham from kit form over this winter and have it on the road in about a year.
You have ordered already haven’t you ? Current waiting lists are about 1 year?
What model have you gone for ?
That BAC Mono is a posh man’s toy, beautiful thing, just makes the OP’s thread title even more true!
I would be interested to see how the fun levels compare between a £15k Caterham, £40k Atom, £150k BAC, I bet there’s not much between them?
A rather good cyclist who likes fast cars and Ariel
Is there anything cheaper than a Caterham kit that doesn't look like it was designed as a GCSE project! 🙂
Caterham kit that doesn’t look like it was designed as a GCSE project!
That the beauty of them though, incredibly simple things, that drive in a way that few cars can. I’ve recently joined a few Caterham forums and you can literally change your car as you go along as a DIY’er, everything is possible at home.
I’m guessing the Ariel is a bit less practical in that way ?
I was meaning like a Caterham, but not a Caterham. 🙂
Or something in a similar vein that can be done for under 10k
That doesn't look shit!
Westfield? Are they still around?
Second hand kit car. Mines got a Fireblade engine, and I doubt if I'd get more than a few £1000 for it (it's not for sale).
You may have to look at a few to find a good one.
I don’t know if you could ever call no roof, no windscreen, no bodywork and no heater civilised!
But yeah I guess the difference is that the Atom is built from the ground up to handle the power plant that’s installed whereas I understand Caterhams have just had increasing amounts of power shoehorned into a design that wasn’t intended for it. I’ve only driven lower power variants though so I have no experience to speak from.
caterhams etc. do handle the power very well, they are so simple that its easy to alter things to deal with the power upgrades very well.
the civilised comment i was more meaning my car was set upto get the absolute best out of it on the track, those geomertry and suspension settings didn't make it an easy car to drive on roads unless they where very good sufaces. i guess a track setup atom would be the same.
Westfield? Are they still around?
A Westfield in probably the least GCSE project looking car but still doesn't look as nice as a Caterham due to fibre glass "roundness" of panels and they also tend to weigh slightly more.
I had a factory built 2L Zetec Westfield SE for 3 years as my only car (drove around 8,000 miles a year in it) and it was great - comfortable, waterproof etc,. but it took it's toll on the fibre glass panels with hood fixings coming loose, panels showing stress lines and so on.
All the time I had it I still wanted a Caterham and will get one in future. I would go for a 170 as don't need anymore power than that on the road and lightness is more important to me.
MEV Exocet is another option. Used an MX5 as a donor.
Been eyeing up one for quite a while, love the early mx5 1.6s, hugely underrated for fun factor.
Brilliant throad OP, and lovely car!
GBS Zero is another alternative. 2nd hand they are way cheaper than a Caterham, but I’ve heard build quality isn’t great and handling isn’t as good but still leagues ahead of most cars
I’m some ways they look good but in other ways do look like a GCSE project
the civilised comment i was more meaning my car was set upto get the absolute best out of it on the track, those geomertry and suspension settings didn’t make it an easy car to drive on roads unless they where very good sufaces. i guess a track setup atom would be the same
Yeah - I know what you were on about. I was just having a laugh.
The geometry & suspension on mine is set up purely for the road and I find it surprisingly civilised. However, I'm comparing it to a superbike rather than other cars.
I had a Westy for a bit, It was a in-house build show model that was 3rd hand to me. It was nicely put together but was a tired around the edges (cheap though, which is why I could afford it) It had a lowly 1.6 X-flow on twin webbers with a mild cam tune which was good for about 115bhp. Coming from from a Spitty that weighed near enough twice as much with half the engine power, it was a rocket ship. Went to Le Mans in it one year which was Type 2 fun if I'm honest.
Did quite a bit of work on it, (brakes and replaced some of the tattier panels like the nose, replaced the wings with wrap around mudguards etc but money was tight and moved it on.
the civilised comment i was more meaning my car was set upto get the absolute best out of it on the track, those geomertry and suspension settings didn’t make it an easy car to drive on roads unless they where very good sufaces. i guess a track setup atom would be the same.
yep, my caterham has a full on track setup designed for running full slicks, and its pretty terrible on the road as a result - brilliant on a race track through!
I'm doing a few laps of Goodwood in an Atom on Monday. Won't be able to give it the beans but still looking forward to a go in one!
There was a comment above about comparing a £!5k caterham with a £40k atom. Presumably you mean finding second hand ones? You won't find any new ones at that price. I was geuinely surprised at how pricey the Caterhams are but the residuals are strong and they're pretty cool! I like the fact that only petrolheads own them, no posers or instagrammers etc. Don't get me wrong, I'd love a supercar! Can't find one in my garage with all the other stuff I have in there though
Caterham order was initially placed last September, build date is this September! And that's just to get a kit, I actually have to put it together then over winter. It's no cheaper to build it yourself by the time you've factored in the costs to trailer it to the build check and IVA, but I'm doing it for the fun of the build. Planning to build it with my 10 year old son too, he'll be going to secondary school then so hoping he might want to spend time with me 🙂
My car will be a 420R with loads of options. But most cars are optioned and fairly individual
My car will be a 420R with loads of options. But most cars are optioned and fairly individual
Very nice ! That will be £45k of car then. I was looking forward to building one with my 12 yr old son. But then when I started looking at prices, everything is north of £35k which is bonkers. I will be looking in the £15-£25k mark probably.
Re the car costs. You can buy a 2nd Caterham for £15k, an Atom for £40k or a BAC Mono £100k. I wonder if between all the price points there are massive differences in thrills per mile. I doubt it but would love to know.
The Mono is beautiful, but you can never scare a passenger/take someone along for the ride. Definitely more of a track car than the Caterham/Atom with all the aero stuff which is just pointless on the road
Ps - please do a build thread on here when you get your 420r !