When it comes to having fun and going fast, minimalism is often the name of the speed game, and the old-school lightweight speed ethos is on full display in this Ariel Atom track car. Instead of the 205-horsepower supercharged General Motors four-cylinder found in the Brammo-imported Atoms of the era, this wild machine has had a bit of a powertrain swap, now sporting the large Tesla motor from an older Model S P85 that’s pushing about 540 electric ponies to the ground. In original trim this car was capable of a 3-second 0-to-60 sprint, but you can imagine that with grippy slick tires and nearly triple the power it’s a bit quicker these days.
This particular Atom looks a little funny as it no longer has the car’s signature contrast-color intake box in the rollover structure. There isn’t really a need for an air scoop when there’s no intake to feed it to. The electric motor sits low and out of the air, so this version of the car might actually feign aerodynamic efficiency. Gone also are the fuel tank, engine, gearbox, and everything else needed to feed a gasoline-burning engine. You really get a sense of how minimal an Atom is when it doesn’t have an engine in it.
The Tesla motor, inverter, and gear reduction box from the Tesla weigh just shy of 300 pounds, which is more or less the same weight as a Chevrolet LSJ Ecotec engine. This EV swap is also powered by Chevrolet, as it cribbed its 16-kWh battery pack from a Volt, which weighs about 400 pounds. With over 100 pounds of gasoline in a full tank, and the weight of the transmission and associated gubbins, when taking into consideration the lightweight Tillett carbon buckets, lighter wheels, and a few other components pitched aside, this machine might actually weigh less than the stock Atom 2's 1431 pounds.
Obviously 16kWh is not a very large battery, and I’d be surprised if this machine was capable of even 20 minutes of hard-charging track action, but you can sure assume that you’d be having a whale of a time running it. This would be the perfect car for a regional hillclimber or autocrosser to stomp all over the competition. It seems that someone along the way has ended up with the shiny side down, so the roll bar has some, uh, blemishes. You’ll want to avoid that if you can.
The seller included a list of components used to make the swap, and it all seems pretty high-quality stuff.
2006 ARIEL ATOM 2.
*TESLA P85 SWAPPED 400kw
*Tillett carbon fiber seats
*Nitron coilovers
*KC HID Headlights
*CARTEK wireless button controls and Rainlight
*OMP Steering wheel, belts and pedals
*WILWOOD hand brake, dual rear calipers
*linelock.
*Driveshaft Shop Axles
*KEIZER WHEELS F 15X10 R 15X12.5
*EXTRA SET 1552 WHEELS WITH R888R TIRES
*Has some dents and scratches on the tubes from a wild test drive.
*listed as offroad racecar. But does come with a salvage title.
EV parts.
*Zeva BMS
* CHEVY Volt battery pack
*HSR/057 motor control
*Tesla Water Pumps
*Elcon 6.6kw Charger
* Elcon 1500w DC-DC converter
All of that comes with a pretty high price tag, though. If you’re interested in adding this machine to your arsenal, you can bid on it over on eBay. The starting bid is set at $55,000, or you can click the $69,000 Buy It Now button. That seems a little on the rich side of the spectrum, but damn, you probably can’t find anything quicker for less. Maybe it’s worth it. Buy it and let us know.