6GC Style Body For Ariel Atom, Custom ??? (dont get too excited) Options

[Flyinghumanoid]

I recently figured why waste tons of time and money now, when I could really enjoy it in the future. Anyway, After college I hope to be able to afford a decent 50k-60k car, the Ariel Atom. Street legal but not really a daily driver. So if I get measurements and start now I could have a pretty cool body for a really fast car by the time i could afford it. So heres my first question... Would a fully custom fiberglass body be legal as long as I use all DOT approved parts for lights, the windshield and such? If so, then there really isn't anything keeping me from it. EXCEPT the Honda engine. Maybe if I inquire for detailed measurements all the time I can get one made with a 4A-GZE or 3S-GTE since they are custom built to begin with.

[Flyinghumanoid]

Please don't post if you don't have answers or imagination.

[creamed_corn]

60k? Just buy a Z06.

[Flyinghumanoid]

I'm pretty sure the Atom is faster than the Z06.

[azian_advanced]

that's cool... is that an s2000 engine?

[94gts]

super charged type R I think, fast little car but nothing more than a toy. If you've seen the Top Gear episode, the only car at the time it couldn't beat around there track was the Enzo, so why would you want to swap engines? I'm not a honda fan either but i don't see the point in spending all that money to try to swap just so you can run a toyota, it's more car than you'll ever need as far as speed goes (on a tight track that is not much of a top speed car).

Building a body would be slightly more difficult than getting a few measurments and slapping one together, you'ld actually have to have the car to even attempt to make something that wouldn't fit like crap. Besides it takes more than a fiberglass to make a safe body that isn't going to mangle you if you were ever in an accident, you'ld have to rework alot of the car to make someting worth putting on there, which would kinda defeat what the atom is all about.

Anything is posible, but is this project realistic? Thats a whole lot of money you don't even have yet, and a mess of problems no one can answer unless you actually had the car to start planning and building off of. Can it be done... Sure but if your serious then just focus on getting the car first then worry about everything else.

[Digndoug]

Id only get that if i had a lot of money to blow, that thing is reall y just a toy.. Id rather buy a m3 vert, somthing a bit more practical.

[Jaws4God]

I also remember seeing that on Top Gear... They really loved the car and I thought it was cool how they talked about going through corners and actually being able to see the tires on the road :-)

This post has been edited by Jaws4God: Mar 17, 2006 - 11:07 AM

[Flyinghumanoid]

94gts, I was planning on getting some basic measurements and build a mock of the Atom out of wood and foam.
Anything can be done.

Back to the real question... Would a fully custom fiberglass body be legal as long as I use all DOT approved parts for lights, the windshield and such?

[Silver94CelicaOw...]

I think that a much better looking, practical, similar, and cost effective solution to something like this would be to look into getting a Lotus Elise/Exige. Its very similar in concept to what you want, is plenty fast, and is 100% streetable.

Besides, realize that getting an Ariel Atom "shipped over the pond" from the UK won't be cheap and will run the budget for such a project dry before you get to enjoy it. Save up towards getting a Lotus and you'll be very happy you did.

[Flyinghumanoid]

There's a US distributor.

Back to the real question... Would a fully custom fiberglass body be legal as long as I use all DOT approved parts for lights, the windshield and such?

[94gts]

Your right anything can be done, but moching up a custom body would be very difficult to do with out the actual car even for the most experienced builder. As far as legal, I'm sure if you designed it well enough you wouldn't have too many problems passing an inspection, like you said anything is possible. A hard top would be tough to pull off, you sit so far down in the atom that getting out any door would be a major hassle, you'ld need a door more like a GT40 that opens up part of the roof. Keep in mind fiberglass on the scale your talking about would be very heavy for such a small sporty car, best go carbon fiber seeing as price seems to be no object for this endevor.

Silver94CelicaOwner is right a lotus would be practicle solution to this. Check out the lotus super 7 for ideas. But I'm sure you'ld rather this tread be about legalities and such, so back to the real question...

[Flyinghumanoid]

I thought about carbon fiber, that would be really cool. I was looking at the NSX to Ferrari conversion floating around the internet and this project seems to be very similar if not easier. Since basically all I am creating is a body shell, the majority of the parts I can make by making copies of parts of my car... Front bumper, hood, roof, fenders, etc... and all i would have to do is make adjustments here and there for it to come together. I could fiberglass all the parts now for a mold and make the finished product out of carbon fiber.

[Flyinghumanoid]

Also I figured I should throw this in there since I keep hearing suggestions for other cars, I love how the 6GC looks and the only problem I have with it is not enough power. So, I'm gonna keep the celica look, just subtle/functional changes to the body.

I was reading up on some information about how the Atom probably would be faster if it had some sort of body for aerodynamics.
I'm going to look deeper in to this though.

[QuintinGT]

I was reading up on some information about how the Atom probably would be faster if it had some sort of body for aerodynamics.

Yes a fiberglass body would make it more aerodynamic but it wouldn't make it any faster, because you would be adding to much weight. The reason the Atom is so fast is it only weighs 1000 lbs. If you have enough to money buy an Atom just leave it stock and enjoy it.

[Flyinghumanoid]

I want to make it into a daily driver, that thing would be fun in the rain.

[brianforster]

I think that a much better looking, practical, similar, and cost effective solution to something like this would be to look into getting a Lotus Elise/Exige. Its very similar in concept to what you want, is plenty fast, and is 100% streetable.

Besides, realize that getting an Ariel Atom "shipped over the pond" from the UK won't be cheap and will run the budget for such a project dry before you get to enjoy it. Save up towards getting a Lotus and you'll be very happy you did.

agreed 100% about the elise/exige. its got a toyota motor so you can feel close to the family still and its the same concept but more streetable, well crap, i posted exactly what you said, but just count another one up there for this option.

[Flyinghumanoid]

Top Gear Power Laps

[Hanyo]

i dont think it will actually work. you will have a 6gc door, then you will have to climb over the outer shell of the atom to get inside to drive.

[Flyinghumanoid]

I will make custom gull wing type doors connecting in the middle of the roof so i can still climb out.