Ariel Atom Kit. Is it real?

[bolus]

Only because the hadronxr company has recently been posting info on twitter. You go ahead and do what ever you want with your car. I'm just trying to make other owners aware that there could be options or so it seems. Do what ever you want with your car. I'm sure its going to have more value when it comes time to sell because you paid 4 times as much for the same dam thing.

regardless of whether it is legal or not, I think you'll get what you pay for. Ariel China got all the exact specifications for the Atom and could build them pretty much identically. They were going to make some of their own parts, like the forged uprights, because they had a large manufacturing business.

So when very few or none of the cars sold in China, they broke the agreement with Ariel and started to sell frames and parts directly to people in the US. A few ended up here. TMI has the rights to sell in the US, so not exactly a good sport on their part since they can make parts for a lot less. If they were a US company, they would have already been sued and lost.

Palatov motorsports started a second company to do this as well a few years ago. Sell the Ariel china made parts as kits. It was called Altra I think. As far as I know none were sold and I cant find their website anymore.

So now this guy, Hadron XR, is doing the same thing Palatov tried a few years ago.

So I would not buy one even with the reduced cost, because they are all a part of underhanded dealing based on something china businesses often do best. It hurts the Ariel brand and the people at TMI who work really hard (and I doubt are millionaires selling the amount of cars they do). We dont like it because it devalues our cars.

[s2kseven]

Here is what I know dealing with China: Its own economy and social condition never able to advance to higher level beyond mass skill-less manufacturing, due to complete absence of law and common morals. High technology and innovations and scientific development all require many citizens working together voluntarily contributing long term in a system they trust, with things like rule of law, no censorship on knowledge, no restrictions on speech and expression, copyrights, patents, common morals when collaborating and trading with each other etc. These qualities are all destroyed in modern China by the CCP. When was the last time you heard an announcement of technology development or innovations or scientific breakthrough coming from a Chinese organization / company / university? You haven't because there ain't any. Unlike mass manufacturing factory work, these high level human developments cannot be forced on or bought with a dictator's central planning. The only way modern China gets these things is from stealing and spying from all other countries, but that has become much more difficult since the whole world has caught on to their act.

This systematic fatal weakness is why you do not see even one Chinese brand or company that can compete in the international market in any industry of the human race. For example Lenovo, who is already one of the few Chinese brands some people may have heard of, cannot make either the chips that power their computers or the operating system that run them, so it is just one of many plain vanilla boxmakers without any competitive advantage. Another example Huawei is blacklisted by many countries and international customers because everyone knows Huawei's products send all communication data back to the CCP. No rule of law in China also means no people or businesses, both Chinese and foreign, ever invest in China long-term or on a large scale because everything frequently change on a whim along with the political climate. No one trusts any contract or agreement in China because they are always broken by the Chinese and there is no legal protection whatsoever, meaning China can never advance to a knowledge economy or service economy. No rule of law also ensures Shanghai fail to become a financial city despite the CCP dumping huge resources into it for 30 years.


China's mass skill-less manufacturing itself is going away to other countries due to sharply increasing costs and openly hostile and unfair business environment full of frauds and sanctioned protectionism and government robberies. The labor force is endlessly more demanding both in wages and benefits expectations and working conditions, especially since all of today's Chinese workers are single child used to coddling and indulgement by their own family. It is further worsened by the rise of robotic automatic manufacturing and 3D printing. This situation is a death knock to the "growth-based legitimacy" of the CCP, which is the only thing CCP can rely on for continuing ruling power. For sure Chinese people tolerate the CCP when the economy seemingly explodes, but when one day it crashes and the country's hopeless bad shape hit them in the face the people's "support" for the CCP will turn on a dime.

Lastly, I lost my business because of the Chinese knock off products sold in ebay. I can't compete and I'm bitter as hell !!
Our govt does not care and don't pursue fraud products came from China.
I don't mind paying double for a USA MADE product if i have an alternative. AMEN.....

[ckalkhof]

regardless of whether it is legal or not, I think you'll get what you pay for. Ariel China got all the exact specifications for the Atom and could build them pretty much identically. They were going to make some of their own parts, like the forged uprights, because they had a large manufacturing business.

So when very few or none of the cars sold in China, they broke the agreement with Ariel and started to sell frames and parts directly to people in the US. A few ended up here. TMI has the rights to sell in the US, so not exactly a good sport on their part since they can make parts for a lot less. If they were a US company, they would have already been sued and lost.

Palatov motorsports started a second company to do this as well a few years ago. Sell the Ariel china made parts as kits. It was called Altra I think. As far as I know none were sold and I cant find their website anymore.

So now this guy, Hadron XR, is doing the same thing Palatov tried a few years ago.

So I would not buy one even with the reduced cost, because they are all a part of underhanded dealing based on something china businesses often do best. It hurts the Ariel brand and the people at TMI who work really hard (and I doubt are millionaires selling the amount of cars they do). We dont like it because it devalues our cars.

Actually, Dennis sold all the cars he had available (20) then closed the site.

[MadMaxAtom]

Actually, Dennis sold all the cars he had available (20) then closed the site.

Maybe to the new scumbag peddling them now…Hadron XR

[ckalkhof]

Maybe to the new scumbag peddling them now…Hadron XR

I don't think so- He had a build forum on the Altra site. Seemed like individual users mostly.


Hadron will actually sell you just the tubes so you can weld yourself "and save even more money". Can you imagine trying to weld up an Atom without the proper jig? I can't.

[MadMaxAtom]

I don't mind spending money on quality,and Ariel Motor Company truly does care about their finished products. I have been more than satisfied with my purchases.(Plan on more in the future..once I get off this glacier)

[ckalkhof]

I don't mind spending money on quality,and Ariel Motor Company truly does care about their finished products. I have been more than satisfied with my purchases.(Plan on more in the future..once I get off this glacier)

Agreed. I visited TMI a few years ago and was very impressed by the facilities. Clean, high end machinery and good people - A class act.

[bolus]

Actually, Dennis sold all the cars he had available (20) then closed the site.

wow. I had no idea. I guess they have not shown up here for obvious reasons. It will be sad when these start to show up on the market. Im sure they will all be labeled "Ariel Atom" with no mention of their origin.

[ckalkhof]

wow. I had no idea. I guess they have not shown up here for obvious reasons. It will be sad when these start to show up on the market. Im sure they will all be labeled "Ariel Atom" with no mention of their origin.

Even though Dennis made it quite clear the kit atoms should not be represented as an original Atom in any way, I'm afraid you are right Bolus. Prospective buyers will really need to keep their eyes open in the future, especially when the Hadron kits start hitting the market. It could get downright dangerous with folks welding their own frames. All this does not bode well for the original manufacturers I'm afraid.

[MadMaxAtom]

I've seen enough Atoms to spot a fake close up..and I am sure most seasoned Atom owners/modifiers will spot any sub standard construction clues as well.
There is not an easy way to hide poor quality or crude construction on an Atom..and if there is no valid paper trail to Ariel Motor company for the car or major components, that's a pretty big red flag; it's not from the factory.