Ariel, manufacturers of the face altering and mind blowing yet totally road legal Ariel Atom have launched an Atom called the Atom 500 equipped with a 3.0liter V8 engine. This little car promises much more of the same space, time and face bending abilities as the original 2.0liter Honda VTEC powered Atom and much, much more.

The Atom 500 first started off as a special project between Ariel and RS Developments in the UK. It featured a small 2.4liter V8 supercharged engine designed by Russell Savory that pumped up 500bhp at a stratospheric 10,000rpm and was coupled to a 6 speed sequential gearbox which has flatshift capability, flappy pedals behind the steering wheel with manual override.

However this has now changed to a normally aspirated 3.0liter V8 making the same amount of power with the same 6 speed gearbox (most probably the supercharged 2.4liter V8 was too manic for people to drive) It also includes launch and traction controls, which may be necessary as the Atom 500 now has one of the highest power to weight ratio in a production car. It weighs 500kgs, and has 500bhp making it have a power to weight ratio of 1000bhp/ton. Totally awesome, and scary.

Initially the Atom 500 was supposed to be released in 2008 and then 2009, but it is only recently reported (by Autocar) that production ready prototypes were said to be in final stages of testing.

The Atom 500 is based on the latest Atom platform, the Atom 3 and is recognizable by the twin rear intakes for intercoolers and gold paint for the exposed framework/chassis of the Atom. It will also feature unique to the 500 wheels and bodywork combined with carbon fibre panels/side pods containing the car