Hot on the heels of the news of the 1000hp/tonne Caterham Seven RS, Ariel has revealed its own 500hp Atom variant. The exposed tube-frame road-legal race car is already a track-day favorite, and the bump to nearly double the Bugatti Veyron’s power-to-weight ratio will no doubt make it even more fun in the right hands.

The similarities to the Caterham project are immense. Also developed in conjunction with RS Developments, the Atom is powered by a Russell Savory-designed supercharged 2.4L V8 engine that produces peak power at an incredible 10,000rpm. The all-alloy motor features five-valve cylinders and a dry sump oil system. Mated to a Sadev six-speed sequential gearbox, the Ariel Atom 500 is about as close to an open-wheeled formula car as a person can get in a road-legal car aside from the Caterham RS and the Caparo T1.

Blurring the line between race-inspired and race-worthy even further, the Sadev gearbox is flatshift capable, meaning the driver doesn’t even need to lift the throttle to shift up, the computer and gearbox taking care of all the work with the flap of a paddle. Launch and traction control are also standard, and likely almost necessary in a car that weighs a mere 500kg, thanks in part to a large amount of carbon fiber bodywork.

Ensuring the lucky few who get their hands on one of these creations don’t have to cut short their day at the track because of fading or inadequate brakes, Alcon four-pot calipers grace all four corners behind Dymag wheels. Aerodynamics are very important to the new Atom 500, as even the wishbones get aerofoil deign and a large rear wing produces downforce for high-speed cornering.

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