Photo: Ariel
The British police has just made another step in the world race for the coolest patrol vehicles, with the Ariel Atom now reporting in for duty. The move actually comes from Ariel, which has decided to come up with a police version of its track toy.
The British automotive producer teamed-up with the Avon and Somerset Constabulary, which is its local authority, for the job. It all started with a current version of the Atom, the 3.5R. This means officers get to control 350 hp, coming from a Honda Civic Type R two-liter engine that was gifted with a supercharger.
For instance, the 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint takes a mere 2.6 seconds. This puts the Atom in the same league with many motorcycles, but we’ll get to that soon.
Before we move on, we have to explain the Ariel Atom was fitted with the usual law-enforcing bits and pieces. It sports a complete police livery, as well as blue lights and a siren. This is a set of warning you really don’t want to meet when you’re on the road.
As for the motorcycling connection, Ariel’s move comes in preparation for their upcoming bike launch, as they’re planning to introduce a motorbike by the end of the year. The automaker wants to raise awareness among motorcyclists on the road safety topic. The need for such efforts is backed by official data, which shows UK bikers represent 20 percent of those killed in accidents.
“We're just about to launch an all new Ariel motorcycle and we want our bikes and customers to be as safe as they possibly can be as well, so this message is important to us. There’s always one certain loser in a motorcycle collision and that’s the motorcyclist," Ariel director Simon Saunders told Auto Express.
The Ariel Atom police car may not be the kind of complete patrol vehicle that can take an offender to the station and yet we can’t help but wonder - if we promise to behave on the road, can we ride shotgun for a few miles?
For instance, the 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint takes a mere 2.6 seconds. This puts the Atom in the same league with many motorcycles, but we’ll get to that soon.
Before we move on, we have to explain the Ariel Atom was fitted with the usual law-enforcing bits and pieces. It sports a complete police livery, as well as blue lights and a siren. This is a set of warning you really don’t want to meet when you’re on the road.
As for the motorcycling connection, Ariel’s move comes in preparation for their upcoming bike launch, as they’re planning to introduce a motorbike by the end of the year. The automaker wants to raise awareness among motorcyclists on the road safety topic. The need for such efforts is backed by official data, which shows UK bikers represent 20 percent of those killed in accidents.
“We're just about to launch an all new Ariel motorcycle and we want our bikes and customers to be as safe as they possibly can be as well, so this message is important to us. There’s always one certain loser in a motorcycle collision and that’s the motorcyclist," Ariel director Simon Saunders told Auto Express.
The Ariel Atom police car may not be the kind of complete patrol vehicle that can take an offender to the station and yet we can’t help but wonder - if we promise to behave on the road, can we ride shotgun for a few miles?
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