2023 Ariel Atom 4R | PH Review

To some, the notion of an even faster, even more extreme Ariel Atom would seem like utter lunacy. How much madder does a skeletal sports car need to be? Yet here’s the thing: so well resolved was the standard 4, so well integrated was so much power with so little weight, that the idea of upping the ante didn’t seem far-fetched at all. It seemed like a ruddy fantastic idea. Where previous Rs perhaps gave the impression of being solely for the totally unhinged, this feels like a logical progression for the best Atom yet.

Well, almost. Because in no world, really, does 400hp in a toboggan seem logical. But it does make a modicum of sense. It’s a crazy prospect still, and the 4R certainly looks it on a damp, dark, cold December day, a race car seemingly channelling both the past and the future to singular effect. Best note, however, that isn’t the Atom 4R buyers will receive for a little less than £80k. Such is the options spend on Ariel’s own car, from carbon wheels and brakes to sequential gearbox and adjustable traction control, that it’s more like an Atom RR. And also more like £150k. Still, in for a penny, in for a few extra pounds – it’s easy to imagine many customers going all-out on the wildest Ariel yet. Or otherwise you’d just get a standard one.  

On the day of our drive, not even a regular Atom looks desirable. Or any kind of transport, quite frankly. What looks desirable is staying inside with a hot beverage, watching the rain lash against the glass and staying cosy. It’s a truly disgusting day, water streaming in from the wheels and over from the puddles of cars passing by. The butter wind howls through, helmeted head bobbing in the breeze and thermal base layer soaked through. It’s hard to think of conditions less suited to driving a 400hp track car. Or less suited to a mollycoddled car journalist, for that matter. 

It’s to the R’s enormous credit, then, that it’s the conditions that remain scary rather than the car. Proceedings can be remarkably docile (relatively speaking) when required: use the clutch for the sequential and progress is smooth (with a glorious action for the paddles), the brake and throttle take little adjusting to, and the huge 369lb ft of torque means you can bimble on very few revs. Moreover – though the wheel itself is sodden – the steering is fabulous. Making an Atom into a winter log flume isn’t really advisable (especially without waterproof trousers), though it makes a much better fist of it than might be imagined, caked in mud and peppered with leaves. The bemused looks of passers-by might just make the effort worthwhile.

The pneumatic Quaife six-speed sequential transforms the Atom experience. It was absorbing enough with a manual, but the aggression and immediacy of this gearbox means you’re completely hardwired into the machine, all the time. Even using the clutch to go up on a little bit of throttle is more engaging, such are the accompanying sounds – the intensity of a full-throttle pull on the paddle is unrivalled. There’s a new skill to pick up as well, because the auto blip for going down doesn’t quite blip enough, so it helps to heel-and-toe and a paddleshift; which feels odd initially but soon makes complete sense. As the entire Atom experience often does, in fact. What appears ridiculous isn’t long after just plain brilliant – this sequential is one of those. Even if your options spend isn’t as ginormous as this test car, the sequential is simply too epic to be anything but a must-have.

With a bit more speed (and a little less water) under the Yokohama Advans, there’s more to appreciate. Carbon wheels and ceramic brakes probably feel like an overindulgence on a car so light; but yet again, once their effect is experienced, it’s hard to countenance going without. The way this Atom rides (no doubt also ably assisted by bespoke Ohlins dampers) is spectacularly good, gliding across the surface with a serenity completely at odds with the frenzied performance. Taking 26kg out of the unsprung mass must contribute, such delicacy and deftness hard to believe when the composure is also so absolute. The satisfying clicks of the Ohlins couldn’t be easier to access if there is a need to change. The brake pedal is superb regardless of the pressure applied, and the power momentous. Though not troubled on a day like today, there is variable ABS fitted. 

A car that looks like this, with the performance it possesses, shouldn’t be this confidence-inspiring, but that’s always been the genius of the Atom 4. Soon the inevitable is impossible to resist: third gear, a bit of throttle, then some more throttle, then a tad more… smash! Only kidding. The R takes far more of its 400hp and 369lb ft than you’d ever think possible, with an unmatched fury and an unforgettable soundtrack, chuffing and wheezing and sneezing right behind your ear. When traction is finally broken, the car communicates with such clarity (and the traction control intervenes with such tact) that all you’ll want to do is try again, this time with more throttle and less assistance – it’s the most exhilarating yet intuitive driving lesson around. The throttle cut of the TC is almost like another rev limiter, bap-bap-bap when it decides things are silly enough, thanks very much. 

But if you’ve decided it’s not, there are seven levels of intervention to work through. Even kept a lot closer to fully on than fully off, the Atom 4R is totally enthralling and challenging in equal measure. With more throttle and more speed comes the ability to flat shift, and a tantalising glimpse into what a 4R will be like in more favourable conditions – feral, basically, but huge fun as well. Driving it in the cold and wet has only made the prospect of dry and warm seem even more exciting, rather than sown any seeds of doubt or trepidation. That’s quite some achievement with 400hp and the weight of a stapler. 

In combining all that was great about the standard Atom 4 with the insane thrill possible through so much power, Ariel has created something very, very special with the R. Far from being overwhelmed by the additional performance, it’s only served to make perhaps the greatest lightweight sports car of this century an even more captivating experience. Maybe that’s the fever talking, but what should have been an absolute nightmare on four wheels given the conditions became something pretty wonderful. The dry must be out of this world. 

Finally, however, the extras on this car ought to be mentioned. A standard, £77,940 Atom 4R has Bilstein two-way adjustable dampers, AP Racing steel brakes and a six-speed manual. The car you see here is almost double that, at £152,537 (and 30p), so the verdict must very much be taken as this car and not a lesser specced 4R. The big ones include the carbon wheels and Yokohamas (£10k), the carbon discs at almost £6k, the sequential at £13,500, ABS for £11,940 (which also requires £2k of traction control), a smattering of carbon – it’s easy to see how it soon adds up. And how speccing your own car could soon become very time-consuming, as well as expensive. The full list of extras is below if you have an hour spare…

Maybe £150k for an Atom is a bit nuts. That being said, people spend more than this on similar machinery, and it’s hard to imagine any more entertainment being had. A test in the dry is surely only going to further the affection rather than diminish it. There are easy ways to make that RRP less scary, moreover, and let’s be honest – there won’t be such a thing as a bad 4R, because the base car is so brilliant. There will just be varying degrees of awesome. The sequential is a must, traction control would be good to have, the Ohlins are probably worthwhile and carbon wheels are cool. Those alone plus the 400hp are really going to elevate the Atom – a reversing camera and a lightweight flywheel for maximum fizz would surely see you right. Truthfully, most will be content with a 320hp manual, because that’s a fantastic Atom. But with more power and more focus has come even more unfiltered, unbridled, unbelievable excitement – and that might be hard to resist. 

Engine: 1,996cc, turbocharged four-cyl
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive (sequential optional)
Power (hp): 406
Torque (lb ft): 369
0-62mph: 2.7sec
Top speed: 170mph
Weight: 595kg (standard car)
MPG: TBC
CO2: TBC
Price: £77,940 (price as standard; price as tested £152,537.30 (!), comprising – deep breath – Carbon Fibre Rear Fog Light/Reverse Light/Number Plate Tail Tidy for £330, Carbon Lamp Covers – front and rear for £770, Carbon Fibre Instrument Panel for £270, Carbon Fibre Mudguard Set for £1,154.40, Carbon Fibre Aerofoil Rear and Mounts for £3,420, Carbon Fibre Aerofoil Front and Mounts for £2,700, Carbon Fibre Body Set (Airbox & Bonnet) for £1,050, V Type Crutch Strap for 3″ Seat Belts/Harnesses (each side) for £120, 3″ Seat Belt/Harness With Alloy Chest Adjusters (each side) for £660, Alternative Colour Powder Coat Chassis – Pearl White for £2,400, Passenger + clutch footrest for £270, Reversing Camera System for £396, Autotrac Tracker (Insurance approved) for £570, Quadlock phone mount inc. case for £132, 12v. Auxiliary feed with double USB socket for £82.50, High-Level Brake Light for £294, Titanium Cosmetic Bolt and Dzus Fastener Kit (panels, steering wheel, tunnel bolts) for £690, Machined Aluminium Wing Mirror Set for £238.80, Carbon Wheel Set with Road Legal Track Tyres – Yokohama A052 for £9,996, Towing Eye Kit Rear Race Use (2 x straps) for £238.80, Track Day Lap Timing with Brake Pressure Overlay on Video for £2,700, Fire Extinguisher Kit Plumbed In – Race Use for £1,194, Quick Release Steering Wheel for £394.80, Race Needle Roller Bellcranks for £1,194, Chromoly Adjustable Camber Aerofoil Wishbones and Pushrods for £4,272, Ohlins TTX 3 Way Adj. Inline Remote Reservoir Dampers for £1,200, Cockpit Adjustable Remote Brake Bias for £272.40, Black Brake and Clutch Lines with Stainless Steel Fittings for £24, AP Racing Brakes – 290mm 2 Piece Carbon Discs, 4 Pot Calipers, Track Pads for £5,820, Polishing of Complete Exhaust System for £474, 6 Speed Sequential Gearbox + Paddle Operated Pneumatic Shift – Track Use Only – No Warranty for £13,500, Lightweight Flywheel for £1,554, Baffled Engine Oil Sump for £598.80, 3 Stage Variable Turbo Boost Controller for £594, ABS System (Requires Traction Control) for £11,940, Adjustable Traction Control & Launch Control for £2,100 and on the road costs (tax, registration, IVA, front plate bracket) for £1,272.80.