Ariel Brings Its Full UK-Built Range to the United States

Ariel has opened its whole range to American buyers. The Ariel US lineup now covers the Atom 4, the Atom 4R, the Atom 4RR and the off-road Nomad 2, and every car is built at the Ariel factory in Somerset, England. For the first time, a US customer can order any of them.

Ariel is a low-volume British maker of high-performance road and track cars. The Atom is the road and track car, the Nomad is the road and off-road car, and both are built around ultra-lightweight design and a plain goal of serious fun. Ariel says each one is individualized to its owner, which is why the factory builds them one at a time.

Forman Motorworks of Scottsdale, Arizona, is the exclusive US distributor and the customer contact. Founder Franz Forman became the first US Ariel dealer in January 2009 and has sold more than 200 new and pre-owned Ariels since. The new arrangement replaces the earlier licensed US manufacturing program, and the UK factory now builds every US-bound rolling chassis.

Four Cars in the Ariel US Lineup

The Atom 4 is the entry point, with up to 350 bhp from turbocharged Honda power in a lightweight exoskeletal frame that weighs under 600 kg, or 1,350 pounds. The Atom 4R steps up to 400 bhp at under 700 kg, about 1,550 pounds, with revised aerodynamics and track-focused dynamics. Ariel describes its performance as supercar-rivalling, helped by a power-to-weight ratio it calls remarkable.

At the top sits the Atom 4RR, with 525 bhp from a bespoke hand-built engine, a sequential gearbox and race-grade components, also under 700 kg. Ariel calls it the culmination of 25 years of engineering built around light weight.

The Nomad 2 is the one for the dirt. It makes up to 305 bhp, weighs under 750 kg (1,700 pounds) and drives the rear wheels. It uses Ariel’s tubular chassis with long-travel suspension and high ground clearance, so gravel, mud and desert are all in its range as much as pavement. For anyone with gravel roads, desert or trails nearby, the Ariel US lineup now has a car aimed at that.

^{Clockwise from top left: Ariel Atom 4R, Ariel Atom 4, Ariel Atom 4RR, Ariel Nomad 2.}

Ordering and Service in the Ariel US Lineup

Every Ariel is built to order and hand built by a single technician, and the Ariel US lineup follows the same rule. US customers get the same specification flexibility as UK customers, and Forman Motorworks is the direct line to the factory in England. Ariel founder Simon Saunders wants buyers to have “a much closer connection to the cars we design and build here in England.”

Forman Motorworks will also oversee parts, servicing and maintenance through select support sites in strategic US locations. A direct line to the factory also gives US owners access to the latest engineering, specifications and factory-installed options across the range, which is the practical side of the Ariel US lineup. Franz Forman says the new setup lets his team work directly with the UK factory and bring the latest Atom and Nomad models to American enthusiasts.

Dates for the Ariel US Lineup

Forman Motorworks has two demonstrators in build in the UK, an Atom 4 and an Atom 4R, and both are due for delivery in the first quarter of 2027. Order inquiries are open now. The first US customer deliveries are planned for summer 2027, and full US specifications, model availability and inquiries are handled through FormanMotorworks.com.

Forman Motorworks itself is an enthusiast dealership in Scottsdale that deals in pre-owned performance, exotic and collectible cars from Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren, alongside its Ariel business. Forman has represented Ariel in the US for more than 17 years, which is the experience behind the new direct relationship with the factory.

Ariel has spent a quarter century building cars around the person in the seat, one technician and one customer at a time. The cars stay light, and the Ariel US lineup just gave American drivers a lot more ways to get one.

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