Ariel has made an interesting announcement the other day by saying that they have already started work on a titanium chassis which will be approximately 40% lighter in comparison to the tubular steel frame of the current Atom and at the same time it will lower the curb weight of the vehicle by 8%. Not only it will be implemented in a special edition of the Atom, but chances are Ariel will also use it on its forthcoming motorcycle. The frame and welding process of this titanium chassis are being co-developed with Caged Laser Engineering with partial funding from Technology Strategy Board’s Niche Vehicle Programme.
Ariel boss Simon Saunders is hoping to achieve an overall weight of less than 500 kg (1,102 lbs) by using this very special chassis, along with other lightweight parts and a naturally-aspirated engine supplied by Honda. However, he did mention that it will be very hard to do this so in the end the new Atom could tip the scales at around 500 kg.
Note: Ariel Atom 3.5 pictured
Source: Ariel
