Just when I thought I didn’t need another car in my life, my old friends at Ariel have recently announced the launch of their new off road ‘Atom’, the Nomad. Staying very much to the same chemistry as the Atom, with the tubular chassis and Honda engine, this machine has been designed to off-road with the best of them while still being road legal. I believe there is even talk of entering one into the Dakar Rally, for which I assume it will be incredible.
What is great to see is that this small firm based out of Somerset is able to continue to innovate and deliver new products, much like their bikes they launched last year, which stay true to the original brand identity. The Nomad in my mind deals with most of the issues I had when I owned an Atom while not diluting the reason for owning one in the first place. Unfortunately I became too precious about my Atom and refused to drive it in anything but perfect weather. This meant I didn’t manage more than 1,000 miles a year in it – something I think wouldn’t be the case with the Nomad.
After speaking to a number of owners of the Atom it is surprising how many come back for more after selling the car and then realising it leaves a hole in their life. Certainly the Nomad is making me think long and hard about the potential of future Ariel ownership…
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