Trying to decide between GT-R or Atom 3 or 3.5

[Elonheater32]

Hey fellas, glad to be a part of this message board and looking forward in learning a lot. Just a bit of background info..... the past 4 years I have owned a few high performance cars. First was my first gen CTS-V which had a tune and full exhaust on it, second was a 335i with tune and meth injection, third was my favorite e92 M3 with full exhaust, and I currently have an Audi S4 with a pulley upgrade and tune. All of these vehicles have been a pleasure to drive especially my M3, but none of them actually quite did it for me. None of them felt raw nor did any of them terrify me. I know it sounds bad, but I want something that will scare me a bit...... something that will make my heart race a bit!
I am strongly considering getting a GT-R and going full bolt on with it which will give me about 750 hp, but everybody that has a similar GT-R says that it is brutally fast..... but it does it so well and gracefully. I feel as if an Ariel Atom 3 will put a bigger smile on my face although it does have some drawbacks such as the obvious lack of cargo space (not really a concern) and the fact that I will not be able to drive it in the rain or winter (I live in NC). If I get the Atom 3, I will be getting an Audi A4 that is a few years old for my daily driver.
I would love for you guys to give me some of your personal thoughts on my situation and any recommendations that you could offer will be appreciated! The really cool news is that I only live 45 minutes away from VIR and plan on tracking my car (either GT-R or Atom 3) a few times a year. I am really kicking myself in the arse for not ever tracking my M3. I had full intentions of doing so, but chickened out as it was my daily driver and I was afraid that something would go bad (wreck or mechanical failure). With the significant increase of my income; I can now put these worries at ease.
I will be driving the Atom 3 on the streets pretty often so while I am of course concerned about the handling abilities, I also want to make sure that it can handle full throttle sprints and was curious as to what I need to do about the tires to make sure that they are not overwhelmed. I have read that a few guys use 275's in the rear and some even use 295's!?!?!?! I am all about the bigger tires, but the guy at TMI said that he did not recommend anything larger than 275's as the difference between the front and rear tires would prove to be very detrimental on the track. Any thoughts on this?
Also, I LOVE to modify all of my cars so is there a particular model/year/engine that I should focus on. I love supercharged and turbo engines as the horsepower can be increased very easily and usually for little coin. I would like to keep my purchase around $50,000 if I choose to go with the Atom 3.... what would you guys recommend that I look at as a starting point. Remember, if I go the Ariel Atom route.... I really do want to go as far as balls to the wall as I can as far as thrill factor.

Thanks guys for any input you can offer!!!

[horsepower]

GTR vs Ariel Atom is night and day. I respect the GTR platform but was never really won over because it is a big car and pretty heavy. (I have had the pleasure of driving one) Yes, it is very tunable and can put down some very impressive numbers but as the weight goes up so does your consumables; tires, breaks and drive line items if you really boost your power. The GTR will provide you with a similar experience that you have already had...BMW, Cadillac. I would recommend you put the extra coin down and get the 3S, which gives you a developed track weapon that is streetable and will provide you with the best of both worlds. I think as more 3s's are released and reviewed there will be a huge waiting list for this car. Yes it is very expensive and very focused but you can't match the power to weight ratio and the handling characteristics for even triple the cost.

[Elonheater32]

Thanks horsepower for your thoughts! That is my fear that if I get a GT-R it will be a similar experience that I have had in the past. With that being said; the GT-R owners say that once you go full bolt on with the GT-R (750 hp) it is a night and day difference from a stock GT-R so that is what piqued my interest a bit.
I would love to put down the extra coin and get the 3S as it sounds ridiculously awesome, but I need to save about $20,000 or so to put towards my daily driver if I go the Atom 3 route. I have about $50,000 to spend on the Atom 3 and another $20,000 on my daily driver, but if I would go the route of getting the GT-R I would spend around $65,000 on the GT-R as funding another daily driver would not be required.
With that being said, I have NEVER tracked a car before so I think that the benefits of the 3s would far exceed my driving abilities for years to come. Even with tracking the Atom a few times a year, I seriously doubt if I will ever be able to push an Atom 3 to it's limits unless I have some Mario Andretti in my blood that I am not aware of
I have full intentions of tracking the Atom 3 a few times a year, but it will mainly serve as my fun car to drive on the streets maybe 2 or 3 times a week. That is why I was asking about tire size in the rear as I do not want it breaking loose on the roads as I open it wide open.

[Napalm]

I think it will be extremely tough to find a supercharged/turbocharged Atom3/3S for $50k. You can get that pricing if you're willing to get a 2. Unless you mean 59,999 then your chances increase slightly.

[MadMaxAtom]

"I know it sounds bad, but I want something that will scare me a bit...... something that will make my heart race a bit!"

Ariel Atom..any model.
Seriously..every time I take mine out..I am reminded just how different everything is about driving an Atom than anything else.
It will scare you at times,which is not a bad thing,because fear keeps you alive.
The Atom on track at speed requires your 100% attention and will reward you with the sensation of being on the edge.
People ask me all the time "how fast" will the Atom go..and when I answer 135mph..they react in disbelief. How exciting can a car be that "only" goes 135pmh? Come for a ride and see… Drive one and believe...
The Atom will make you sweat if you really want to dance..at a pace that is comfortable..once you get to know your dancing partner.

The Atom will not suffer fools,though. That's Ok..just don't play the fool. *

[Elonheater32]

Thanks for the input guys. I was surprised to see the Atom 3 only topping out at 125-130 mph at VIR while a lot of the GT-R's were topping out around 155 on the straightway at VIR.
As far as pricing goes I have see. A few Atom 3's go for mid 50's and some for less than that. Am I mistaken or missing something? Most of the Atom 3's that I have seen are going for the 60's and some even in the 70's, but I have seen a few go in the 50's unless they were bogus listings.
I do not want to go with an NA Atom as I want to be able to tune it for more power. Having a turbo or supercharger will make it much easier for me to tune for more power.

[Napalm]

A few Atom 3's go for mid 50's and some for less than that. Am I mistaken or missing something? Most of the Atom 3's that I have seen are going for the 60's and some even in the 70's, but I have seen a few go in the 50's unless they were bogus listings.

I didn't mean to imply that it was impossible, but most seem to go in the 6x,xxx or upper 5x,xxx range. You have to be pretty patient for 50k or low 50's. Some people aren't as patient as others.

Atom ownership is ridiculously fun. You'll love it.