We’ve seen Chinese automakers contribute more than their fair share of vehicular doppelgangers over the past decade, but this one takes the cake. Straight from the province of Zhejiang comes Yongkang City Feiya Vehicle Company’s “Go-Kart” - which, without doubt, is nothing less than a clone of the Ariel Atom at three-quarter scale.
Although it may fool the casual bystander, the Go-Kart’s resemblance to the Atom is only skin deep. In comparison to the 240-horsepower 2.0-liter Honda I-4 used in the U.K., Feiya’s clone makes do with only a 58-horsepower 650-cc two-cylinder motor coupled to a four-speed manual. That may be fun enough for a small motorbike, but it’s only good for 58 mph - paltry considering the real thing can hit similar speeds in under three seconds.
(Click through for more on the Feiya’s Atom clone, including a gallery)
That the stateside Ariel Atom builders at Brammo Motorsports have been hard at work on a supercar has been something of an open secret. Dubbed “Rogue GT,” it was to be a 12-cylinder monster designed to take on the establishment while fitting “real” people comfortably.
But in a revealing interview for Best Life Magazine, Brammo’s Craig Bramscher has let slip that their planned exotic has dramatically changed focus. As the CEO, Bramscher says he’s had a change of heart about the sort of environmental impact of his company, and that revelation will have a direct impact on his company’s product plans.
According to the article, Bramscher has come to believe that his firm has a “moral obligation” to become a green company. As a result, the planned Falconer V-12 has been jettisoned, and the car will now run not on gasoline, but electricity. With this change in propulsion comes a change in name—the Rogue GT will now be known as the Enertia GT, a name that echoes that of the plug-in electric motorcycle that Brammo unveiled just this past week. (Click through to the jump for more details and the link)
This weekend, a mass of concerts were held under the “LiveEarth” banner, a 24-hour, 7-continent series that featured in excess of 100 musical artists, along with an estimated two billion people on-hand and tuned-in.
Designed to spur awareness and “a global movement to solve the climate crisis,” LiveEarth also saw the debut of the Enertia motorcycle, an electric bike from Brammo Motorsports, the Ashland, Oregon outfit best known for bringing the Ariel Atom to the U.S.
Unlike the Atom, the Enertia is less of a high-performance screamer, and more of an environmentally responsible commuting solution. The carbon-fiber framed bike utilizes six lithium phosphate battery modules and a transmission-free chain-drive electric motor to whir to a top speed of 50 miles-per-hour (it will reach 30 mph in 3.8 seconds). Range-wise, the Enertia has a range of 45 miles at 25 miles-per-hour, and the batteries will recharge in three hours, making that return trip home with ease.
All of this won’t come cheaply, however. Brammo is now accepting orders of a limited-edition first-quarter of 2008 model for $14,995. Full production ramps up in the third quarter, and pricing drops to $11,995.
We’re working hard at WINDING ROAD to orchestrate a road test of this innovative bike soon. Stay tuned.
(Click on the thumbnails below to launch a gallery, or on the link below to learn more)
The ridiculously quick and nimble Ariel Atom is set to get a bit more elusive—by $6,000. According to Bill Feagin over at Brammo Motorsports (the Oregon-based firm that builds the trackday hero) the cost of the standard Atom will rise by a hefty $6k effective June 18. Certain option prices are also set to increase.
As June 17 is Father’s Day, Brammo’s folks seem to suggest that purchasing an Atom in time for Dad’s special day would make for a dandy gift. We quite agree (hint, hint), though the sizeable price increase has caught us a bit off guard. *The company had announced a $4500 price increase last December, but apparently held off on bumping up the price until now.
Brammo cites increased capital outlay toward the Atom’s production process (to keep up with demand), as well as significant investment in workforce size and facilities as part of the reason behind the price increase.
With an increasing number of purist propositions threatening to crowd the marketplace (KTM X-Bow, GTM TR40, etc.), Brammo is wise to continually invest in the Atom’s development, but we hope the extra outlay comes good in the form of a better car and/or ownership experience, because increasing a car’s price by that much is a worrisome tactic in our book, no matter how mind-blowing it actually is…
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster / Peter Dawson
The photographer’s style should always complement the car’s styling; and for your Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Audi R8’s, using Peter Dawson is a no-brainer.
It was a hot day in Orange County and Will Calcutt showed up at this shoot wearing Cowboy boots. He seems to have gotten around quite well, despite this; he turned in over 700 beautiful images which covered every inch of the S7 and Saleen’s facility. What you see is part of the S7’s complex paint process.
Contemplating splurging on an Ariel Atom? Think fast. The minimalist sports car’s maker, Brammo Motorsports is upping the roadster’s base price by around $4,500.
Brammo says that it will honor 2006 pricing on all orders received and deposits made as of December 29, but cites an increase in engine pricing from General Motors as the reason behind the not-insubstantial pricing bump. The car’s GM-sourced Ecotec four-cylinder was apparently promotionally priced, and effective January 1, that deal ends, so Brammo is having to pass on the increase to their customers as well.
Don’t want to order a purist, heaterless roadster just as winter hits? No worries… with the car’s customer queue, it’ll be a few months before you see yours anyhow.
You might want to start pestering your boss about that holiday bonus a few days earlier than normal.
Want to learn more? Check out our full road test here, or click through to the company’s website to spec out your own Atom.
With winter’s cold shoulder hard upon our doors, we at WINDING ROAD can’t help but get nostalgic for some of our top-down drives earlier this year. The Ariel Atom proved to be the most entertaining droptop I drove all year (by some measure), a purist’s pursuit to be savored.That said, sometimes things are best explained with moving picture s and sound. To that end, be sure to click on the video above for a quick primer on the Brammo Motorsports-produced Atom in all its visual and sonic glory, then click through to the full WINDING ROAD review here.
Our newest work, the October issue of WINDING ROAD, is live and available for download, and it’s our best yet, if we do say so ourselves. Filled to the brim with delicious metal, we can’t imagine why you wouldn’t savor our new issue (especially when a 36-month subscription is completely free with no credit card required). In this month’s issue, get behind the wheels of: the Mazdaspeed3, Ariel Atom, McLaren F1 (taking on the Bugatti Veyron), Audi S3, Bentley Continental GTC convertible, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Saturn Aura XR, and so on and so on.
More, you say? How about the Tesla Roadster (one of the first test drives in the world), an exclusive look at the new Maserati Mistral, a record-setting diesel run in Bonneville, and the Renault 5 Turbo 2.
As ever, if you’re not yet a subscriber, you can sign up here for a free 36-month subscription!
Harboring Ariel Atom dreams, but can’t divorce yourself from owning a motorcycle-engined racer? Check out this TwinTech V-Twin Formula Car.
This bike-engined car relies on a 125 horsepower S&S V-Twin, but builders can fit a supercharger and/or a larger engine. Given the car weighs 1,120 pounds, we’re guessing that even with 125 ponies on tap, it’s still a good bit of fun. TwinTech figures 0-60 mph in around 4.5 seconds, and 1.1 g’s on the skidpad.
(Click through for more details, photos, and a link)
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