The Ariel Atom is one hell of a car, although not too many people but car enthusiasts out there may ever know about its existence. Now, the company that was in charge of the Atom development is now introducing yet another model, the Nomad. A bit unlike the company’s previous vehicle model, this one is a rather large off-road vehicle.
Slated to make its first world debut on January 9 next year, the Ariel Nomad is a vehicle that can actually do whatever its bigger brother can do. Only, the difference is that the model has been developed for off-road terrains. The car weighs just below 1,600 pounds and it borrows some of the styling cues from the Ariel Atom, including the ladder frame. However, it comes with several new additions that the Atom does not have on it. These new additions include a seemingly pretty tough roll cage, a brawny brush guard at the front end of the vehicle, an underbody reinforcement kit and big off-road tires. There is, however, one thing that may concern potent buyers of the vehicle. Unlike the norm with other off-road vehicles out there, this particular offering from Ariel comes with no more than two driven wheels. It means that the engine can’t send power to all wheels together, which is crucial when it comes to conquering off-road tracks.
However, perhaps there is nothing to be too afraid of. According to the son of Simon Saunders, Ariel chief, Henry Siebert-Saunders, the company has performed quite a number of tests on the vehicle and the results are quite encouraging. The company is curious to see how the car will perform when compared to traditional 4×4 off-roaders out there.
In terms of performance, Autocar reports that the car will potentially bring a 2.4L engine under the hood. This engine will produce 200 hp and is likely to be paired with a mechanical limited slip differential system as well as a 6-speed manual gearbox.
