A SMALL British carmaker behind a motor Jeremy Clarkson said could “destroy your face” is set to build a huge new factory in the UK.
Ariel – best known for its Atom motor – will build the new structure to the east of Crewkerne in Somerset on a recently acquired 43-acre site.
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The carmakers gained the land after five years of negotiation, with the new building set to open before the end of 2028 at the cost of “a few million”, Ariel boss Simon Saunders said.
Simon said the cost of building a new factory had rapidly risen since the idea was first floated, meaning the firm may need to seek external funding.
Ariel currently sells two vehicles, the Atom and the Nomad, as well as the Dash bicycle, according to its website.
The Ariel Atom, tested on Top Gear in 2005, was described by Clarkson as “so quick, it can destroy your entire face“.
Since its launch in 2000, it has gone through a number of alterations, with the Ariel Atom 4 – released in 2018 – being the most recent version available to customers.
It was awarded Britain’s Best Driver’s Car by Autocar in 2020.
With building the new site, Simon said he wanted to “move to no ordinary industrial unit”, keeping in style with the unique designs of Atom’s motors.
He explained: “While we’ve been waiting to do the land deal, we’ve investigated quite a few styles – circular buildings that might work well for production efficiency, or others whose design is reminiscent of old farm buildings you already find in this area.
“We need space for what we do now, plus a museum, a showroom and a design office. And it’s got to be efficient.”
The new site will be placed close to Atom’s existing factory, meaning Ariel will be able to keep its pre-existing workforce while also adding around 60 new staff.
It also means production capacity should be able to almost double from just 80 units per year to around 150, reports Autocar.
The huge new complex will house Ariel’s expanded manufacturing operation as well as a showroom, a spacious service and spares operation, long-term parts storage, a museum, and an office space for design and administration.
Ariel is also putting an emphasis on environmental efficiency for its new vehicles, Simon said.
The new factory will be capable of carbon capture, its roof will gather solar energy, water will come from a borehole, and there are plans to plant 8000 trees on the site.
Ariel started out in a tiny studio in Simon’s home before moving to its current site in 2007.
However, since Ariel handles advanced design as well as spares, servicing, repairs and used car sales on top of manufacturing, it has been constrained on space for years.
This comes after a 2020 Ariel Atom went to auction last year.
Describing a previous version of the car in 2005, Clarkson said he had “never, ever driven anything that accelerates so fast,” describing the Atom as being “fast on an entirely new level”.
The motor started life as a student project at Coventry University before it was originally launched in 2000.
Other iconic versions include the Ariel Atom 500, which is one of the fastest accelerating production cars ever made – taking just 2.3 seconds to get from 0-62mph.
The Ariel Atom was also voted one of Britain’s 50 best cars ever made by a panel of 10 judges earlier this year.
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