Euro performance car specialist revives sports car brand in Australia
Local customers wanting to get into an Ariel sports car can do so once again, with a new distributor stepping up to the plate.
Australians wanting to get their fix of the Ariel Atom and Nomad now have the chance to once again, after a new Melbourne-based company stepped up to replace its previous distributor.
Last year, Melbourne-based Ariel importer Lightspeed Motor Company said it had secured the exclusive licence to produce the open-top Atom and Nomad models locally, creating a manufacturing opportunity for the niche vehicles.
This plan was later scrapped, after the brand “discovered some anomalies and barriers regarding the compliance pathways and additionally, issues regarding the ownership and access to necessary product IP,” resulting in its contract with Ariel lapsing.
The company’s “ability to supply new cars to the Australian and New Zealand markets” was also placed on hold, putting Ariel’s local future under a cloud for the second time in recent history, following Road and Track ceasing its dealership role previously.
Now, it appears the brand has been partly resurrected, with new venture Litesport taking over as Australia’s Ariel distributor, run in part by previous Lightspeed co-founder Alex Knott.
Joining Knott in the new venture is Alex Barnett, who is best known in Australia’s modified European performance car scene for being the owner of Underground Performance.
Regarded as one of the go-to tuners in the BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen (including Audi and Skoda) communities, Underground Performance has also been appointed as the official service partner for Litesport's Ariels.
Currently, the firm says that the Atom 4 can be road registered in Australia, while the Nomad 2 “is still being assessed and [will be] available soon”.
The Litesport website currently shows the Nomad 2 as “coming soon”, however the configurator for the Ariel Atom 4 is already live.
Prices for the Atom 4 begin from $149,995, though its extensive options list can push its price well beyond $200,000.
Powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder ‘K20C’ engine sourced from the Honda Civic Type R, the Atom 4 weighs approximately 595kg, making it one of the closest things to a superbike with four wheels.
The Nomad 2 meanwhile is meant as an off-road weapon, and is powered by a turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder Ford 'EcoBoost' engine, found elsewhere in the Focus ST, Mustang and Ranger.
