2012 Ariel Atom Mugen Revealed

If you thought that the Atom V8 500 was the most powerful and fast Ariel available, you are wrong as the company just finished preparing a limited edition Atom Mugen which made its debut at this year’s UK Autosport Show. This limited edition was made in order to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the Atom and only 10 units will be produced. Each of these cars will come with different liveries and will have numbered plates signed by Ariel and Mugen. The latter is known for offering many tuning packages for Honda cars.

Aside from the regular features that you find in the standard Atom, the Mugen edition comes with four pot lightweight calipers as well as ventilated discs for both the front and rear wheels. Inside, the Mugen model will benefit from a multi-functional LCD screen installed in front of the Atom’s driver and will display all the necessary and relevant info, including lap times and gearshift indicators.

As far as the engine is concerned, the 2012 Ariel Atom Mugen will feature the unit that equips the Honda Civic Type R, which is a naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter K20Z Type R, but tuned by Mugen in order to output 270 hp @ 8,600 rpm. In comparison to the standard Atom, the Mugen offers a 25 hp increase. With this engine and a curb weight of less than 640 kg, the car will be able to reach 60 mph in 2.9 seconds, onto a top speed of about 150 mph.

We mentioned in the beginning of the article that only 10 units will be produced, but we have to warn you that one was already sold. For those of you interested in the 2012 Ariel Atom Mugen, the price is $78,700.

If you are curious about the Atom’s main competitor, it is the KTM X-Bow, although the cars look very different. Both of them have very similar performance specifications and the KTM X-Bow is fitted with a 240 hp Audi-based 2.0-liter TFSI DOHC engine, offering just about the same performance figures as the Atom Mugen.

Post tags: Tags: ariel, atom, mugen