Ariel Lives Again Serious Fun

When it began production in 2014, the Ace V4 was the first new motorcycle from Ariel for over 50 years, since the Birmingham factory ceased production in 1967, and it reinforced Ariel’s tradition epitomised by the Square Four of stepping outside the box in motorcycle design.

- Alan Cathcart

But in fact, Ariel had already made its comeback 16 years earlier with the 1999 debut of the Ariel Atom, a road-legal two-seater racing car with lights that’s since achieved iconic status as the fastest accelerating, best handling thing on four wheels, with 2,100 passionately satisfied customers so far, each of whom owns a bespoke built motor car unlike anything else on the world’s highways. American car and bike connoisseur Jay Leno says it’s his favourite drive of the many in his Big Dog Garage, which is as good a compliment as you can get for the work of the 30 employees of the Ariel Motor Co. at its rural English HQ in Crewkerne, Somerset, headed by company owner Simon Saunders. By no coincidence, most of these own a motorcycle licence, and one even rode to the Isle of Man TT aboard a tuned Honda C90 stepthru fitted with a 160cc motor! With the Atom’s global success, Ariel has a secure future, although total production deliberately remains at around 100 cars a year, which maintains exclusivity and keeps residual values elevated.