Ariel Atom 4R: Faster Than 500bhp Atom V8? | Stig Laps

Stig Laps are back! That’s right, The Stig is once again roaming free at Dunsfold, and in this eight-part series we’ve gathered, well, eight cars, to set new timed Power Laps at the Top Gear Test Track. So far, we’ve seen the Koenigsegg Jesko Attack, Ford SuperVan 4.2 and Porsche 911 GT3 RS set lap times, all wildly different types of vehicles, but all with huge big splitters and wings sprouting from them. Today’s contender is no different! It’s the Ariel Atom 4R, and this particular one has had many options thrown at it, including carbon wings and panels and a pneumatic six-speed sequential gearbox. This one's on forged wheels and steel discs, but you can have those in carbon too. It costs about £140,000 with all options, almost double the standard 4R. But what price progress? Thirteen years ago a first-generation Atom fitted with a 500bhp V8 blitzed the TG track in 1:15.1. This new one might have an inferior power-to-weight ratio and half the cylinders, but brakes, tyres and aero have come a long way. Over to Top Gear’s Editor-in-Chief, Jack Rix, and The Stig… Subscribe to Top Gear for more videos: http://bit.ly/SubscribeToTopGear WANT MORE TOP GEAR? Listen to the Top Gear Magazine Podcast: https://topgear.podlink.to/Podcast Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.topgear.com/newsletter-signup MORE ABOUT TOP GEAR: Welcome to the official home of Top Gear on YouTube. Here you'll find all the best clips from your favourite episodes, whether that’s Ken Block drifting London in the Hoonicorn, Chris Harris in the latest Porsche 911 GT3 or classic Top Gear clips from Clarkson, Hammond and May. You'll also find the latest performance car reviews from the TopGear.com crew, our brand new series American Tuned with Rob Dahm and the fastest power laps from our in house performance benchmark: The Stig. This is a commercial channel from BBC Studios. Service & Feedback https://www.bbcstudios.com/contact/contact-us/ 00:00 Intro 02:05 Walkaround 03:04 Stig lap 04:49 Stig POV 06:15 Leaderboard 06:53 Bonus Lap 08:31 Next time