A brother to the now iconic Ariel Atom, the Nomad shares the same Ariel family genes as well as the proven Atom recipe of light weight, high performance and ultra reliability. But where the Atom is to road and track, the Nomad is to road and off it.

Outboard suspension, raised ground clearance, long travel dampers, damage resistant body panels, washable interior and a host of options tailor the Nomad to go off road to places that an Atom and most car owners couldn’t or wouldn’t consider. Ariel’s mission to put the fun back into driving takes another big and dirty step.

The Nomad will be shown for the first time at the UK International Autosport Show and will made in low volume, alongside the Atom, at the Ariel factory near Crewkerne in Somerset. To be manufactured in similar quantities to the Atom, at up to 100 cars per annum, production of the Nomad begins in Spring 2015 with orders being taken immediately.

For power the Nomad continues to build on the long standing relationship between Ariel and Honda, that began with the Ariel Atom and continued with the Ariel Ace motorcycle released in 2014. Featuring the 2.4 litre 4 cylinder K24 iVTEC engine the Nomad combines the ultra dependable, high volume drive train from Honda with Ariel’s particular low volume production skills and bespoke build system. The result is a highly individual and exclusive vehicle but one with the reliability and provenance expected in today’s market.

As with the Atom and the Ace, the unique way that Ariel build vehicles allows each Nomad to be exactly tailored to individual customer choice and personalised for their own particular use and taste. With an emphasis on the advantages of low volume production and the particular benefits that this gives the customer, the Nomad demonstrates the positive aspects of Ariel’s size and approach. No two Nomads will be the same and each one will be made to customer specification - a quality that is only possible with Ariel’s hand built production.

“There are things that we can do at low volume that you simply couldn’t contemplate with mass production.” said Simon Saunders, Director of Ariel. “We understand niche markets and we understand customers’ demands completely. Everything we have learnt from the Atom has gone into Nomad and it shows. Nomad is Atom’s tough brother and a continuation of our ‘SERIOUS FUN’ philosophy. If we can put a smile on people’s faces, on road or off it, we have done our job”.

From an ultra cool road car or a 21st Century take on the dune buggy, to a high performance, off road competition vehicle, the Nomad is the third Ariel to put the passion back into driving.

Designed by the in house Ariel team the concept of an ‘off road Atom’ has been nurtured for some time, fuelled by owners who have occasionally contemplated an ‘Atom with knobbly tyres’. Although sharing a certain amount of proven Atom components, as well as its minimal design philosophy, the Nomad has been designed and engineered for the specific task of on and off road driving as well as having fun at all times. Tested on WRC stages, rock falls and off road race tracks, as well as proving grounds and race circuits, the Nomad has proved itself in all manner of environments and in varying climatic conditions.

With a longer term ambition to compete off road, Ariel are considering the possibilities of rallying the Nomad as well as looking at Rallycross and Autocross possibilities. Competing in the 2 wheel drive class of Rally Raids is also a long term ambition for the Nomad. Said Henry Siebert-Saunders (Henry S-S) of Ariel, heading up the Nomad development, “Competition has always been an ambition for the Nomad since Day 1 of the project and, like the Atom, we know from experience that it directly improves the breed. It’s early days but I want to see Nomads competing in as many forms of motorsport as possible, from local club racing to international level.”

Each Nomad will be handbuilt by one Ariel technician in an individual build bay, as with the Atom sports car and the Ace motorcycle, giving customers an even closer relationship with the creation of their own car. They can visit the factory to see their vehicle in build and discuss their Nomad directly with the technician building it, making this one of the most personal and bespoke vehicles in the world. Only when an Ariel technician is satisfied and has personally road tested it will the Nomad gain his personal build plate. Kelvin Marshall, chief technician on the Nomad prototype build and test cars, said, “We get to know our customers personally and we want everything to be perfect for them. You put a lot of yourself into every Ariel you build so it’s a lot more than just building a car for an unknown person – it’s like gaining another member of the family.”

Options allow customers to specify their Nomad exactly so that it becomes their Nomad and theirs alone. This tailor made aspect of Ariel is unique at this end of the automotive industry and allows Ariel customers to personalise their Nomad for their particular use. Different tyres, wheels, competition parts, engine tuning and suspension components are available focussed to off road and on road performance, as well as windscreen, underbody protection, lamps, bumper bars and winches. Full weather equipment for winter and off road conditions will also be available.

As with other Ariels, the Nomad is also upgradeable over a period of time. Owners of Nomads can return their vehicles to the factory where upgrades, modifications and new options can be fitted to change it for different uses or to modify the specification at any time. Like altering a tailor made suit this is a system that has been incredibly effective with the Atom, where owners have kept their cars for many years changing them as their priorities or interests alter.

Performance of the Nomad has been aimed at a mix of road and off road performance with inlet and outlet manifolds tuned for power and torque combined with fuelling and mapping via a Hondata ECU. Performance figures are similar to a standard Atom but necessarily restricted by specification and tyre choice. 0-60 takes around 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 136mph are standard for the car.

Chassis

Central to the Nomad is the recognisable Ariel perimeter space frame, again with form following function and an aesthetic derived from the engineering demands of the vehicle. Now an Ariel signature, the multi diameter structural steel chassis is created with laser cut components and CNC formed tubes which are bronze welded by hand. This mixture of modern technology with British craftsmanship is pivotal to Ariel’s philosophy and gives a quality only achievable in low volume production. With built in roll over protection the chassis offers a full safety cage for very high levels of occupant safety as well as enormous structural rigidity. Phosphated and powder coated to customer choice of colour the Nomad chassis gives high levels of visibility off road as well as retaining the individual Ariel aesthetic.

Engine and Transmission

The Nomad retains Honda power, so successfully used in the Ariel Atom and more recently the Ariel Ace motorbike. Chosen for its power, torque , flexibility and advanced technology the 2.4 litre 4 cylinder unit used in the Nomad uses the same architecture as the Honda Type R found in the Atom, but with performance characteristics highly suitable for use in an off road vehicle. With the longer stroke, Honda iVTEC system plus tuned Ariel inlet and exhaust systems the engine gives 235bhp and 300 Nm of torque - as much as a supercharged Atom. Driving through a Honda 6 speed gearbox with Limited Slip Differential the Nomad has passenger car driveability on road but massive ability off road. Although only two wheel drive, the light weight of the Nomad at 670 kilos allows it to outperform 4 wheel drive vehicles in many situations as well as limiting mechanical complexity. Further options of different differentials are available according to the use the Nomad is put to.

Suspension

Ariel’s knowledge and experience of making lightweight vehicles handle in on and off road environments as well as competition has been used to give the Nomad compliance on the road whilst maintaining wheel contact and suspension travel off it in many varying conditions. Double unequal length and adjustable wishbones are mounted on high-angle metalastic rubber bushes with high grade outer ball joints, giving road comfort and meeting strength requirements for off road conditions.

The Nomad features outboard aluminium dampers, in contrast to the inboard units on the Atom, to give the suspension travel and robustness required, Developed in conjunction with Bilstein, known for their skill in lightweight vehicle suspension, the low friction, monotube design has been valved to give road comfort but also off road and on track performance. Complemented by Eibach variable and two piece springs, which can specified to suit customer preferences, the visible suspension is another Ariel trademark giving functional beauty and easy access for adjustment.

Dependant on tyre and wheel specification the Nomad has over 300mm (12”) of ground clearance, a front approach angle of 71 degrees and departure angle of 82 degrees.

Designed for very high speed off road driving as well as low speed crawling and normal road driving, the suspension has various options to suit whatever purpose the Nomad is being used for. Customers have the option of different dampers and springs, tailored specifically for the Nomad and tuned for the varying conditions it will be used in.

Brakes, Tyres and Wheels

Braking is via an adjustable front/rear bias system featuring a choice of two piston and four piston calipers. Ariel’s long association with Alcon Components continues with the Nomad which features ventilated discs and light alloy calipers to minimise unsprung weight. Proven repeatedly on track and performance challenges the brakes offer ultimate stopping capability and driver control. All Nomads feature Goodridge stainless braided hose as standard equipment and for off road plus competition use there is the option of an in line hydraulic handbrake.

To give ultimate performance the Nomad is available with a wide range of Yokohama tyres, suited to the particular use or conditions. Choices of high speed road, All Terrain and full Mud Terrain right through to Gravel/Forest Rally and Sand/Paddle tyres are all available with rims in 15” and 18” to suit, in both alloy for both off/on road use and magnesium for road use only.

Body

Bodywork is a mixture of materials carefully selected for use on the Nomad and its driving environment, both on and off road. Contactable body components, including front end, rear covers and mudguards are rotationally moulded in self coloured, toughened polyethylene plastic - the same process and material used to make road cones and boat fenders. The ultra tough material gives outstanding fit and finish but is virtually unbreakable, flexing and springing back rather than breaking. Other components are self coloured composite, plus carbon fibre option, with Twintex composite for light weight and protection.

The interior, with individual lightweight seats is designed to be simple and completely weatherproof so that the Nomad can be driven in any conditions and then hosed out afterwards. The windscreen option with a twin wiper system gives forward protection whilst a full weather equipment option completes the package for use in off road or bad weather conditions, covering sides, rear and roof. “It’s a bit of a moment for us,” said Henry S-S, “it will be the first Ariel that has a roof and doors! Although they are zippable roll up units as weight and simplicity was of particular importance.”

Instrumentation is via a Race Technologies LCD dash, also found on the Atom. The instruments feature programmable gearshift lights plus multi screen information that can be set up and scrolled through by the driver. A further option is the addition of a data logger that can show real time performance as well as log to an in built Compact Flash card.

Hella halogen headlamps and LED indicator, side and tail lamps form part of the Nomad road pack with additional spotlamps and LED markers, for off road use, available as options. All Nomads can be road registered in the UK and are available in left and right hand drive for export. Discussions are underway with North American Licensees, TMI Autotech, to build the Nomad in the USA.

Nomad prices will start at around £27,500 in the UK plus VAT, with a comprehensive option list to allow each car to be tailored to order.

Includes: a date with motoring's game changers, a dog, a night out and rain...

We have an Ariel Nomad on the Top Gear fleet for the next few months. This is simply tremendous news. In truth it’s been here over a month already but I’ve been having too much fun to settle down and tell you about it. Anyway, to give you a flavour of what it’s been up to and how busy it is, here’s the story of its first week at Top Gear.

I’m fresh back from holiday, but more over-excited than my kids were two weeks earlier. It’s a Monday and Rowan Horncastle picks me up from home in an Audi RS4 for the drive down to Crewkerne. I only mention this because it’ll become relevant later.

Ariel is not a big outfit. It builds a couple of hundred cars a year and the first thing that happens when you walk through the door is someone presses a mug of tea into your hands. That’s proper service. We have a stroll around and then MD Henry Siebert-Saunders leads me over to ‘my’ car. It’s not brand new, but that doesn’t matter a jot to me, because it looks ace in red and black with winch on the front, tyre on the back and tail wagging back and forth on top. Tail? OK, light saber. Either way it’s a glow in the dark LED light stick and it’s utterly brilliant.

Henry talks me through it. It’s very straightforward – the powertrain is pure Honda: naturally aspirated 2.4-litre 4cyl K24 motor (235bhp @ 7200rpm and 221lb ft at 4300rpm) and six-speed H-pattern gearbox. Driving is simplicity itself. The options list is way more extensive than you expect, but not in the normal ways of colour, trim and infotainment. The base car is £36,538, our car is £55,910.

Here’s the high points of how that works: uprated Alcon brakes (£2,388), off-road focused adjustable Fox dampers (£3,416), hydraulic handbrake (£474), quick release steering wheel (£232), protective see-through side panels (£540), heated windscreen with washers and wipers (£1,938), underbody bash plate (£210), front winch bumper (£1,025) and Warn winch itself (£594), light bar (£1,198) and LED whip light (£357). I don’t need to tell you this set-up is off-road biased…

Do I need all of that? Well, that’s what I want to find out over the course of the next few months.

I drive out a very happy boy. It’s raining, but I just don’t care. I care about two hours later, after Rowan has lead me further south west from Somerset into Devon. The weather has been miserable, and even my new car excitement has been tempered by wet feet and sopping trousers. The side panels do a great job of reducing footwell turbulence and almost entirely stopping the risk of road debris coming in, but water is harder to repel. It gets in around the edges.

Everything else has been dandy though. The windscreen wipers work a treat and although mist will eventually build up on the inside as well, I have the windscreen with heating elements in. It’s only £146 more than the standard one and already looking well worth it.

The noise has got to me a bit, a reminder I need to go shopping for decent earbuds, but it’s the high speed motorway din that deafens and pummels rather than the engine noise itself. You just pull up at the end of a journey and feel a bit battered for a few minutes.

We’re now in the depths of Exmoor. It’s very quiet here. The last few miles to Withypool had been a blast. What you might not realise is how small the Nomad is. It might wear all the off-road accoutrements and those balloonish 235/75 R15 Yokohama Geolander tyres, but it only measures 3.2 metres stem to stern. It’s 40cm shorter than a VW Up, albeit almost 20cm wider.

Small is good on Exmoor lanes. And when something does come the other way, so is an ability to mount a bank or take to the undergrowth. The Nomad only encourages you in this. It also easily kept pace with Rowan whose RS4 has over 400bhp. Even with all the extra weight of lights and winches, the Nomad only weigh about 725kg.

This is why we’re down on Exmoor – the ‘Gamechangers’ group test that ran in the 300th issue of Top Gear magazine. Basically the ten cars that changed the way we think about cars/were most significant/we liked best over the 24 years the magazine has been going. It’s still on sale at the moment. If you hurry.

It was quite a line-up and the Nomad was our sole lightweight representative. Why this and not an Atom, or a BAC Mono, or even a Lotus Elise? It’s not only the pure joy the Nomad offers, but also from the very first moment we drove it, how it works better on the road than any other lightweight. Most are so light and sharp they twitch and dart about, but the Nomad is stable, playful, and still light, fast and hugely engaging.

This chap had a go. That’s Le Mans winner Andy Wallace, now a Bugatti ambassador. He came along to chaperone the Veyron, but we let him have a play in the Nomad. The smile says it all really.

He did come back talking about steering kickback and he’s bang on – the big heavy tyres are a lot of weight to control through corners, so you need beefy arms to keep a grip on the Nomad over mid-corner bumps. If that matters to you have it with a lighter, more road-orientated wheel and tyre package. Or have both depending on what you want to do.

Everyone else had a go too, and all returned with equally goofy grins and reports of comedy bodyroll and hilarious wheel movement…

…and then some joker did this. Didn’t they, Tom Ford? Anyway, it gives me a great opportunity to tell you about approach and departure angles, which off-road enthusiasts like to discuss over cloudy beer in the snugger parts of a rural pub.

Because it doesn’t really have any bodywork to speak of, and because the wheels are right at the extremities, the angles are 71 and 82 degrees at front and rear. So it goes up stuff like this bank without grinding the nose or tail at all.

And I know it doesn’t look as if ground clearance is particularly good, but it sails through most ruts, while the bash plate protects the underside from deeper stuff. And besides, the Nomad doesn’t weigh much, so it treads lightly and if you get sillier than that, there’s always the winch…

Anyway, after two days on Exmoor, the Nomad then did a day’s commuting in and out of London from mine – another 120 miles, then on Friday a bigger trip. To Essex to witness the TG300 race. Yep, our £300 bangers took to the oval at Essex Arena Raceway.

I was absolutely itching to let the Nomad loose on the inner dirt track, but the risk of being run down by a fast-moving 735i, a wayward-handling Audi or an inevitably-sideways MGF wasn’t tempting.

On the long haul there and back the Nomad averaged over 28mpg. Given it has a reasonable 52-litre tank, I’m looking at a feasible range of over 300 miles. Which means I can travel pretty much as far between fill ups in the Nomad as I can in the Aston Martin DB11 which preceded it… Or at least I would be able to if the fuel gauge was trust-worthy. Henry had told me when I picked the car up that they deliberately made the tank read zero litres when there’s actually plenty left so blokes prone to playing fuel light chicken wouldn’t get carried away…

This is Brodie. He’s the latest Top Gear dog. He found the Nomad very easy to jump in and out of, but reported the seat didn’t feel moulded to his shape.

It’s Saturday night. My brother and I are off to a party in London. We could take a sensible car, but there’s no fun in that. So, having looked at the weather forecast (I’m doing that A LOT at the moment) we hop in the Nomad. It’s a proper hoot, but above 60mph conversation is nigh-on impossible, so we end up just looking at each other and laughing.

This is chiefly because we’re in a mish-mash of ‘protective’ clothing (ski goggles, flat cap, wellies, waders), all aimed at protecting our smarter clothes – which we’re wearing underneath – from harm. We park in a back street, strip, seal driving clothing in rucksacks which are then bikelocked into the car and walk off to the club carrying the steering wheel. If nothing else it’s an ice-breaker.

I wish I had photo evidence of all this, but needless to say we were running late, so you’ll have to make do with a shot taken the next night when I went for a drive to see if the light-saber does look as brilliant as I imagine at night (it does) and if the headlights are actually any good (they’re not).

There’s a local car show at Newbury College. I head up there with my son to go and have a poke round the cars, but the bloke on the gate assumes I’m an exhibitor. So in we go. It’s a wonderfully random display. We park up next to a couple of Minis, a Clio V6 and an old Rolls-Royce. The Nomad attracts plenty of attention, all of it positive.

If there’s a drawback its this. Those who know what it is adore it. They praise you for driving it, think its wonderful and are massively jealous. Those who don’t know what it is think you’ve built it yourself. From scaffolding. In your shed. This, I will admit, is a slight frustration. They obviously can’t spot the quality of the welding.

So that’s been the first week in the life of the Ariel Nomad at Top Gear. It’s done over 900 miles. Other than driving the Gamechangers on Exmoor, I haven’t done distance in another car. The sun hasn’t shone for every mile. But remember, there’s no such thing as bad weather, there’s only the wrong clothes. More on that next time.

Spec: 2,354cc 4cyl, nat asp, RWD, 235bhp, 221lb ft, NA MPG, NA CO2, 0-62mph in 3.4secs, 125mph, 730kg