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Limited Ariel Nomad R Gets 340 HP from Supercharged Type R Engine Because It Can

Ariel is one of those tiny British companies that you just know is run by somebody extremely passionate about cars without having to read on it. How? Well, it makes the kind of cars that anyone who enjoys driving would, so what more proof do you need?
Ariel Nomad R 14 photos
Photo: Ariel
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The Brits are extremely proud, so they were always going to get lots of favorable media coverage from the local outlets. However, when it comes to Ariel's products, you just can't overstate how much fun they can be, so anything you read on Top Gear or Autocar isn't biased, it's fact.

It all began with the Atom, but soon enough Ariel decided that this kind of fun shouldn't be restricted to paved roads and racetracks, so the Ariel Nomad came about. Powered by a 2.4-liter Honda engine, the tiny off-roader has 235 hp (obtained at 7,200 rpm, no less) and 221 lb-ft (300 Nm) of maximum torque to play with, and since it weighs just 1,477 lbs (670 kg), that's more than enough.

Well, now there's even more than that thanks to the ultra-limited Ariel Nomad R. The company will only build five Nomad Rs, which makes writing about it feel somewhat pointless since only five of the 7.6 billion people on this Earth will get to drive one regularly. Each of those five, however, will get a new 2.0-liter Honda engine sourced from the wonderful Civic Type R, enriched with a Supercharger made in-house for a total output of 340 hp and 243 lb-ft (330 Nm) of torque.

It's hard to call one thing the "best part" of an Ariel Nomad (R or otherwise), but the Tarmac rally-spec six-speed sequential gearbox sure makes a strong case for itself. It changes gears with haste and precision, going up a cog in 40 milliseconds and down in 50 milliseconds, which explains in part why Ariel claims a zero to sixty acceleration of under three seconds. That's on any type of terrain, mind you.

Don't be fooled by the spartan look of the Nomad: there's a lot of technology going into making one. That, together with the unparalleled exoticism of any Ariel product, explains why the British company asks over $80,000 for what is essentially an exposed chassis with an engine and a transmission. What a combination, though.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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