Automotive

Ariel Motor Company announces Nomad off-road racer

View 15 Images
The Ariel Nomad is a new off-road buggy
The Ariel Nomad is a new off-road buggy
A front-side view of the Ariel Nomad
A front view of the Ariel Nomad
A low-side view of the Ariel Nomad
A rear-side view of the Ariel Nomad
A side view of the Ariel Nomad
A view of the Ariel Nomad's exhaust
A view of the Ariel Nomad's seats
A rear view of the Ariel Nomad
A view of the Ariel Nomad's steering wheel and dash
A side view of the Ariel Nomad in action
A rear-side view of the Ariel Nomad in the wild
A front-side view of the Ariel Nomad in the wild
An aerial view of the Ariel Nomad in the wild
View gallery - 15 images

Ariel Motor Company, it of the unhinged Atom sports car, has announced a new addition to its line-up. The Nomad takes all of the raw excitement of the Atom and dumps it into an off-road buggy. Like the Atom, it is said to be lightweight, high performance and reliable.

According to Ariel, the idea of an off-road Atom has been around for some time and, indeed, the Nomad is more than just a stablemate of its older brother. The cars share both a design approach and various components.

The Nomad is powered by Honda's 2.4-liter 4-cylinder K24 iVTEC engine, which produces 235 bhp and 300 Nm of torque. It can accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) in 3.5 seconds and has a top speed of 136 mph (219 km/h).

Ariel says the Nomad's suspension is designed to accommodate a variety of different driving types, including high speed off-roading, low speed crawling and normal on-road driving. Outboard aluminum dampers developed in partnership with Bilstein are used to provide the required suspension travel and robustness. These are coupled with Eibach springs.

A side view of the Ariel Nomad in action

The Nomad's braking system can be configured to have a front or rear bias and to use either two or four calipers. The calipers are produced by Alcon Components are are made from light alloy. Alcon has also provided the ventilated discs that are employed.

Customers can choose between a host of different Yokohama tires depending on how they expect to be using their Nomad. There are options for high-speed road, all terrain, full mud terrain, gravel and sand driving, amongst others. All are available on 15-in or 18-in rims.

The interior of the Nomad is designed, understandably, to be simple and perfunctory. The two lightweight seats are weatherproof and the interior can be hosed down after use. An LCD screen provides instrumentation info and it's possible to log and store driver data on an in-built Flash storage system.

A front-side view of the Ariel Nomad in the wild

Each Nomad will be built by a single Ariel technician, and customers will be able to visit the factory to see their car being assembled. Up to 100 Nomads will be built each year and each will be tailored to the taste of the individual customers. It will also be possible for customers to upgrade their car over time or to have its setup altered.

Production is scheduled to begin in the first half of this year, and prices are expected to start at £27,500 (US$41,600).

The video below shows the Ariel Nomad in testing.

Source: Ariel

View gallery - 15 images
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flipboard
  • LinkedIn
8 comments
Rehab
42 k for off road only? I would rather buy a used WRX and strip it and juice it up. I'd end up way under your price, blow the doors and roof off your buggy ( if you had any ) plus be able to drive it on the street. Nothing original or outstanding here but nice try.
Noel K Frothingham
If your primary interest is low cost, this isn't for you. This is a purpose-built vehicle. Your WRX-based off-road vehicle is anything but purpose built and that will be its downfall because there is no basis for comparison. Nothing new or original about your idea, either. The VW Beetle of the 60's and 70's was your WRX today. No matter how you try or how much money you throw at it, both were production street cars capable of being outfitted to be a poor mans off-road vehicle, but never the 'same' as a factory-built full-on off road gut pounder.
Dan S
Perfect. It'll be street legal in Arizona.
tablar
I need it ! :D
Steve Jones
Rehab, it isn't off-road only, it's road legal. And what you're talking about is a modified used car, whereas this one is new. If you took a *new* WRX (so as to compare like with like) and did all the mods you suggest (including labour costs, so that we're comparing two turnkey cars), you'd end up with something about three times the price of the Ariel! And still no faster!
bergamot69
Not impressed with the mudguard design.
In very dusty environments I can see the tyres throwing dust both backwards from under the skimpy front guards, and forwards from under the rear. Given the low down and exposed driving position relative to the wheels, and I can see the driver literally eating dust.
Jesse Robert Allen
What I see is the darn thing drifting all over the road and never once getting off-road at all, plus he is riding the brakes into some pretty shallow curves. As a demonstration of capabilities this video leaves much to be desired. Seems an expensive way to get soaked and muddy the first wet spot you hit...
Jay Finke
42 k should be 4 wheel drive ? or come with a 30 k jet pack.