MK5 Golf GTI
General => Random Chat => Topic started by: QD MBE on September 02, 2011, 06:42:38 pm
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This is at least 12 months away yet, but I like to plan my car owning.
And seeing as I only live 5 miles away from the factory, and that I have always been smitten with them, I decided to pop along to see if it was a scratch that really needed itching, or just a small nip that would go away if ignored..........................
Well the car is question, was a supercharged number, weighing in at 650kgs (ish) with 300 horses.................
Ariel atom 3 300.
I popped along today, and must say that they put other workshops to shame, to say that it was clean, and ultimately professional was an understatement.................... First impressions looking like it was an itch that needed scratching.
We spoke about all aspects of ownership, and spent 1.5 hours chatting about cars and their latest V8 development, and the Atom 3.
First impressions suddenly meant a rather large itch developed. Before I knew it, I heard myself can I test one? Sure was the cry................ and I could tell by the smile he knew he had me by the short and curly's!
20 mins later we were pootling in 5th, in traffic, through town, with normal car manners, no Vibration felt or untoward sounds often associated with a stiffly sprung car with a poly-bushed engine, and rose jointed suspension.
The car in question had Alcon’s f+r, LSD, supercharger, Sticky tyres, err and sound track to die for. Extremely simple, but very special engineering none the less.
Well the town was behind us, and the road became clearer, and all I can say is F**K my tall hat!
I have never been in, or on something that seemed to accelerate so quickly, I say seem, because I am sure my old R1, or ZX7-RR did, but the effect of being so low accentuates the fact.
The car was ballistic, but so well mannered, it would open up overtaking opportunities that would only be available on a bike; it was massively quick, something less than 3 to 60, and sub not a lot after to the 100.
We went down some of my favourite roads, near my house, on the 25 mile drive. After about 10 miles it was my turn. Strap in, thumb the isolation switch, press the tit, and the VTec donkey settled into a nice thrum. Then indicate and pull away, no heavy clutch, easy gear change, then sit at 50 in traffic, and get chance to open the taps.................
F**k my tall hat ................3rd
same again for 4th, 5th etc. then brake, down a cog, slap her in and the G force does make the neck ache.
One part I have not mentioned is the noise of the Charger...................F**k my tallen hatten! What a sound track.
Blip on the down shifts and the charger emits a bark into the induction, what fun.
Not my pic, but look at the engineering............
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.images.pistonheads.com%2Faimg%2F2840%2F2840734-5.jpg&hash=0d73f0e29ff073f65d9478f3bbf18cd84bf452c1)
I will be selling a kidney soon, and having an Atom 300. With a small Van as a daily......... :driver: :driver: :driver: :driver:
Atom 300 at the ring.............
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Im excited for you! :jumping: :driver:
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Great car just love how they are made :notworthy:
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I didn't mention the steering/suspension ................... No slop, no delay, no roll, you turned the wheel and the car went exactly where you wanted it too, in fact at fist it was a little disconcerting, almost too good!
But with time...................It was F**K my tall hat ace! Just like a big 4 wheeled bike........ :driver:
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Is that the sort of car for your dodgy back Dave? :confused:
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It is all about support Steve, bad seats and bad seating positions make it ache, the cayman pedals are offset to the left to allow for the intrusion of the front wheel into the footwell, so you are always sitting slightly sideways.
Decent seats like the ones you can spec in the Atom are great. Race seats with correct padding will make a huge difference. Plus you are sitting straight behind the pedals, and SW.
The seats in the std atom are solid, but very well shaped, so support the back properly, or at least it felt that way, actually more supportive than the TT, until I realised the TT Lumbar had reduced over time, so sorted it out, and the TT is better again. It took a solid ergonomic seat to show me.
Ps the miles that you would do in an Atom are nowhere near a road car, so less exposure too.
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:happy2:
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Got one in at the min for a setup and some new wheels with slicks. Same spec as the one you drove.
After driving loads of them, I would still have a x-bow with a k04 kit. ;). Downforce is a wonderful thing.
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:drool: :drool:
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Me want!
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i did a track day in the 300 bhp atom in the summer , best car made , they leave most supercars on track , i wanted one but out off my price range , so got the RS250 megane :happy2:
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Good work QD, look forward to doing some track days with you next year :happy2:
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Cant wait to see you driving one. :grin: with an old tin hat and some flying goggles. :evilgrin:
I am new to superchargers and agree with you they are amazing when wound up. :pomppomp:
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So this was you then Dave on the test drive? :evilgrin:
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Carl, I was slightly more camp, and screamed a bit more!
In all seriousness, I was lost for words, the Q word came out a few times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mental car.
:driver:
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Dave! are you planning to take it on track, or is it purely just country roads fun. :happy2:
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Dave! are you planning to take it on track, or is it purely just country roads fun. :happy2:
The insurance i enquired about is similar to the Lotus scheme. a handful of track days a year.
But Country (early morning) fun is also on the cards........................... Similar to my escapades when I had a bike or two.
Pembrey to home on my 7RR with a back tyre that looked like a thread-bare Kojak on the left hand side after a day on the track was no fun.......................... the nippet valve was pulsing..........
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I remember Jonny C saying the chassis was lacking on these, the best by far was the Caterham if i remember correctly. But to be fair he was a racing driver, and not sure whether most mortals could ever find the limit in one of them. Should be amazing fun. :pomppomp:
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the nippet valve was pulsing..........
Is that a technical term? :laugh:
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:happy2:
Tom,
exactly. A racing drivers chassis, is not always the best for us also rans............
Ps your lot sorted the suspension out as well as the AM Vanquish..............
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the nippet valve was pulsing..........
Is that a technical term? :laugh:
Limpet is the correct term Ian, sure you are aware?
:booty:
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(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdaz.co%2Fmedia%2Fmm104%2Ftomashandmilly%2FAtom_500_V8_post_1305992322.jpg&hash=c940688173a035356426657a0b02e2eeaa94090c) :notworthy: :driver:
Where do you puteth the front plateth. :laugh:
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^^^^^^
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That is the even more mental one. 500 horses 3.0litre V8, 690 kgs, 2 Suzuki Hayabusa heads with a bespoke Ariel bottom end.
Sequential Gearbox, launch control, 2.8 ish to 60 etc........................... would not let me drive that one, nor passenger in it, as it was sold.
Monster!
:driver: :driver:
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I'll trailer it to the ring for you if I get a lap or two! :driver: :rolleye:
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You confuse me dude, the atom is a awesome car, but with the fact that you seem to kinda refuse to map the TTRS had led me to believe you were some sort of old boring codger. Obviously proven wrong :signLOL:
The closest thing I have driven to an atom is a race spec kart so yeah deffo get one its just such an enlightned experience of pure mechanical feel. Butttt, you really do need to map the RS before you get rid, cause quite frankly its kinda poo and boring without it in comparison!
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The TT is a cracking car, but mapping it; although once on the radar is no longer an option. I originally bought it with a view to have a dabble with it, brakes, ARB's, map, etc etc.
But I have been looking at options, and keep coming back to the fact that IMO you should essentially buy the car as you want it. Small mods yes indeed, but if I want more performance etc, I will buy a car that has more performance, or offers warranted OEM manufacture upgrades.
Also I want to play on the track, but taking the RS on track days is a no-no for me, call it self preservation, call it lack of adventure but I can't afford to lose circa £40k if it all went wrong.
I want to buy a car that I can take on the track, be insured on the track, and drive home happy.
No wrong or right, just up to you, your money, your choice.
Ps Mr TC you have done in essence exactly what I was thinking of.
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^^^ Wise words QD, the way I look at it is having the right tool for the job :happy2:
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^^^ Wise words QD, the way I look at it is having the right tool for the job :happy2:
Exactly. In your case the 'red temptress car' is not a daily, so makes perfect sense. You can do what you want to it, knowing that you have redundancy in the garage in the form of the Tiggy and Jetta.
I want to rationalise my money in the TT, to make a 2 car garage, atom 300 and maybe a MK4 golf Tdi.
Seriously thinking of buying a £500 sh*tter to drive the work commute.
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Will make for an interesting detail thread too lol
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Yes indeed.
Would be fun, and something to mess about with on those long winter evenings..............
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Seriously thinking of buying a £500 sh*tter to drive the work commute.
I hear Nathan has a nice Rover for sale!
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Awesome experience you must of had there Dave.. Not jealous much!!! :sad1:
Guy who lived round the corner from me before I moved had one of these. Only came out of the nicest of days and was locked away in the garage like the bat mobile for most of the year. I saw him tinkering with it one day in his garage when walking the dog and couldn't resist picking his brains and having a quick butchers. Was half expecting him to tell me to make a sexual departure, but to my surprise he invited me in and we had a natter for a good half hour.
Like you say Dave, the engineering of the thing is enough to get you moist in places you never knew possible. God knows what it must be like to drive.. :surprised:
He did offer me a passenger ride in it when the summer arrived, but we have moved since, so that never happened :sad1: Might go and tap him up when next passing and the sun's out.. :wink:
I also remember being at the MLR 30-130mph event the other year and there was a chap who attended in his Ariel Atom 300 (not really the ideal event for one, but was still chuffing quick). He was from the South Coast (event was at RAF Marham in Norfolk) and had brought his 10 year old son with him.
Anyway, when the event was coming to a close, the heavens not only opened, but stayed that way for a good three hours. :scared: I can't say I would of fancied the trip back to Southampton with him that day.. :laugh:
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Just off topic a bit Dave but me and the wife was proper LOVL at that vid that was something else and we have a friend who was the spitting image :signLOL:
Thank you for this thread and cheering my otherwise boring afternoon up :happy2:
Darren
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I drove one back in 2006 at Elvington on a 5 super car track day (I say track was cones round an airfield)..
It was a cold November morning and I got thrown in that 1st after being shown the track in an RR Sport. It didn't half wake me up and f*ck me did it go and was getting quicker with each lap, shame I only got 2 flying laps with an in and out lap in it. It made the DB9 I went in after feel rather boring and tame and a bit like a Mondeo.
The only thing I found is that I couldn't get comfy in it but I think thats got something to do with my height more than anything.
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi54.tinypic.com%2F2a4se51_th.jpg&hash=88b077bc57daebe6fa139d562bf5735f0b07a0f8)
me freezing my nuts off and loving it :signLOL:
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The TT is a cracking car, but mapping it; although once on the radar is no longer an option. I originally bought it with a view to have a dabble with it, brakes, ARB's, map, etc etc.
But I have been looking at options, and keep coming back to the fact that IMO you should essentially buy the car as you want it. Small mods yes indeed, but if I want more performance etc, I will buy a car that has more performance, or offers warranted OEM manufacture upgrades.
Also I want to play on the track, but taking the RS on track days is a no-no for me, call it self preservation, call it lack of adventure but I can't afford to lose circa £40k if it all went wrong.
I want to buy a car that I can take on the track, be insured on the track, and drive home happy.
No wrong or right, just up to you, your money, your choice.
Ps Mr TC you have done in essence exactly what I was thinking of.
Thats fair enough!
The TT requires quite a bit of outlay for it to be fun aswell as fast out on track. In the country lanes with the stock chassis and extra power its a hoot, on the track its wooly, with road tyres and stock brakes making the performance inconsistent imo. I just stick with competiting in karts for my giggles because of this. Cant get insured on caterhams etc yet. Will you be looking at other cars in the atoms class?
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Plot thickens........................
Fully comp on Atom 300, circa £35K, 5 track days a year (including 2 Europe ones - including Ring and all GP circuits) 5K miles a year.
£650 a year................... :congrats:
ps protected with legal cover, green card for free............... didn't include windscreen cover! :signLOL:
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Plot thickens........................
Fully comp on Atom 300, circa £35K, 5 track days a year (including 2 Europe ones - including Ring and all GP circuits) 5K miles a year.
£650 a year................... :congrats:
ps protected with legal cover, green card for free............... didn't include windscreen cover! :signLOL:
Damn, that is good, How much is it to add on extra track days?
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£25 a pop.
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bloody hell get it bought now sod the hairdresser car :wink:
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These things sure do look tasty, a lot of beans though
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very nice a mate of mine makes the rads oil coolers and charge coolers for these
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Some times it pays to be an ole fart :laugh:
:popcornsoda:
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:angry015:
:grin:
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Even I agree Dave, you need to buy this car :notworthy:
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Give this guy a ring Dave, confident he will easily beat that quote. :wink: http://www.hendersontaylor.co.uk/quote.html
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Give this guy a ring Dave, confident he will easily beat that quote. :wink: http://www.hendersontaylor.co.uk/quote.html
Is your insurance for the exige similiar as to the above?