Up An Atom!

Up An Atom.. At your service!

Steve at Up An Atom is currently one of a few of people in England that are hiring out the mighty Ariel Atom for track use. Myself and photographer Ross Jukes went down to meet Steve on a sunny Sunday afternoon to experience the car on the road and hear more about the Up An Atom experience.

The Car

Most of those who get this far into this article will know exactly what an Ariel Atom is and does. However for the sake of completeness, the car in question is an Ariel Atom 2 with a 2.0-litre iVTEC engine, which produces 160bhp and weighs only 496kg. In short it will bruise your spine, give you whiplash and explode bugs in your face – it’s a pleasant little car.

The car attracts so much attention on the public roads you instantly feel like a celebrity. Driving it down the high street it almost felt like the Queen was in town, everyone stops to look, waves and takes pictures as you zoom on by in the Atom, it was a very strange but enjoyable feeling.

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The Business

Back in 2011 Steve looked to start his own business, but he was keen to make sure it was something he truly enjoyed. And what better business to own than buying one of the fastest most exciting cars around and making a living out of letting others take it around the track, decision made! 2012 was a good year for Up An Atom, bookings increased significantly, this trend has continued through 2013. In the future Steve is considering purchasing a second car to hire out possibly the Ariel Atom 3 or a KTM X-BOW, I vote for the KTM – how awesome would that be?!

The Man

I got the chance to spend a few hours with Steve whilst reviewing and photographing the car. He is as big of a petrol head as they come.  He did a few experiences days back in 2011 and soon realised just how special the Ariel Atom is, which made up his mind about his business start-up. Steve is now able to share that experience with all of his customers and hasn’t looked back since.

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The Track Experience

Up An Atom offer one the best motoring experiences available today. They give you the opportunity to take one of the most outrageous cars you can buy and test it to its limits around a circuit of your choice. The experience is hassle free; turn up, drive, enjoy, and go home. Why wouldn’t you want to try it?

Booking includes the below:

  • Delivery of the car to any circuit in the UK or Europe.
  • 2 Drivers track insured for the day.
  • Mechanical support throughout the experience.
  • First tank of fuel.
  • General driving advice and support throughout the day.

Summary

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t intimidated by this match box missile. But in my opinion that is probably the best approach to take with a car with this level of the performance, especially with its lack of airbags. After my first passenger ride in the Atom I was a lot more comfortable with the car, and enjoyed every moment of it. Needless to say I will be considering taking the Atom to the track to max it out in the near future.

 

Author: Paul Hadley