Ariel Atom To Get Even Lighter Thanks To New Titanium Chassis

There are number of automobiles on the market constructed by very small boutique manufacturers. A number of these incredibly low production automobiles are constructed specifically with motorsports in mind. The vehicles are street legal, but are very minimalist and are designed for drivers who often spend a lot of time racing the cars on a road course.

One of these vehicles is the Ariel Atom. This car is very minimalist and is typically built using lots of fiberglass, carbon fiber, and a tube-frame chassis. The vehicles have no doors and have no roof. The company has announced that it is making its already lightweight vehicle even lighter by using a new material for the chassis of the sports car.

Typically, the cars are made using a tubular steel frame and Ariel Motors is now working on a special edition of the Atom that we use a titanium chassis. The titanium chassis is said to be 40% lighter than the tubular steel frame Atom uses currently. The manufacturer says that the new frame will reduce the overall weight of the car by as much as 8%.

Ariel Motors is targeting a weight below 500 kg, which is about 1100 pounds in the US. If the company meets that target weight, that would make the special edition Ariel Atom weigh about half as much as a Mazda Miata. The special edition titanium frame Atom will use the naturally aspirated Honda engine featuring lightweight mechanical components. There is no word on pricing or availability for the titanium Atom at this time.

[via Motoward]