Calling the Ariel Atom a “car” is a bit of a stretch. After all, it comes with no roof, no doors, no windows. So for all intents and purposes, it’s basically a motorcycle with four wheels (plus two seats and a steering wheel). You’re gonna want to wear a helmet, and we wouldn’t recommend riding it in the rain.
Which makes sense, because the original Ariel was a motorcycle manufacturer. While the present-day automaker may have little to do with its namesake, Ariel Motorcycles was in business from 1902 through 1970, when it was folded into BSA, which in turn eventually became the Triumph we know today. Now it appears that the modern company is preparing to go back to its roots with a custom bike of its own.
The custom ride will reportedly be built around a Honda engine (much like the Atom) and be made entirely to order, giving buyers the choice of positions for the seat, pegs and handlebars to get the riding position just right. It apparently won’t be a superbike, but something “more usable and fun.” That’s usable, not accessible: word on the street is that the new Ariel motorbike will sell in the UK for some £20,000, or about $33k in equivalent greenbacks.
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