Step aside Mr. Atom, meet the Ariel Nomad.

http://9a95cdacd53dec175ce4-7e93ef9cb189e5802f5676deb193c52b.r71.cf3.rackcdn.com/nomadIntro/nomadVideo1.mp4

I have no place to drive one locally. I still want one. Wonder where it would fit in the Rally-X classes.

In reply to Toyman01: I've wondered why there isn't a locost project for off road work.

Could use a similar frame even.

The big Trophy Trucks are very close in design.

So the carbon fiber tub is your skid plate??

That is dangerously close to something I am building...

A number of people have asked me how hard it would be convert Midlana to off-road. Increase axle lengths and suspension arms, increase suspension travel to 12"+, big shocks. Who knows.

For me personally though, I have no desire to build anything that sits on a trailer or in the garage 99% of the time. That said, there's no reason it couldn't be made road legal... hmm.

We discussed this a month or so ago. Thing is, this market is already fully Locost.

I've been thinking along these lines for a while. A small, light rear/mid engined off-roader using smaller components and big travel, but I keep coming up with a Class 10 race buggy at one end and a Razor on the other.

Ah: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/ariel-nomad-possible-idea-for-exocet-variant/97101/page1/

I missed it the first time around.

As much as I think they are a neat idea, locally there isn't anywhere to drive one at speed, even if it was street legal. In the NF, you are guaranteed to end up in the woods, or parked under a 4X4 hunting truck. Not to mention, tearing up the roads gets them closed. Rally-X would be your only option and we don't have any of those locally either.

I don't think I get it. It is just a sand rail. The same thing folks have been building in their back yards forever. This is about as groundbreaking as an 8 track tape.

Jumper K. Balls wrote: I don't think I get it. It is just a sand rail. The same thing folks have been building in their back yards forever. This is about as groundbreaking as an 8 track tape.

No, it's an unserpowered, not much suspension sand rail.

I clicked this thread expecting a station wagon Atom.

Toyman01 wrote: I have no place to drive one locally. I still want one. Wonder where it would fit in the Rally-X classes.

Parking lot. Tubeframe vehicles are specifically banned.

In reply to Knurled:

Seriously? Is there a reason for that?

That seems kind of shortsighted, even for the SCCA.

Toyman01 wrote: In reply to Knurled: Seriously? Is there a reason for that? That seems kind of shortsighted, even for the SCCA.

Production passenger cars only, that's why. Those are known quantities and there is a definite chain of liability if someone gets hurt, would be my guess.

Also, I shudder to think about what body parts could get flailed out and pinned/broken when something like that rolls.

In reply to Knurled:

And that's why wrist restraints were invented. We ran those on our buggies after having various injuries from rolling....for some reason, people want to try to stick their hand out the side when they feel it going over, like that's doing to do a damn thing.

I also don't think those factory tires are going to have enough lateral grip to cause a roll. biggest issue for rally related fun, which was noted in the other thread, is he lack of radiator protection.

I agree with Keith and some of the others I see this as not really competing with the side by sides already out there unless you need a license plate and in some cases you can even plate those.

captdownshift wrote: I also don't think those factory tires are going to have enough lateral grip to cause a roll.

Production cars at production ride height on street tires can roll at rallycrosses. All it takes is hitting a rut at the "right" angle.

I looked at this thing and thought that it would probably be comparable to a Polaris RZR, so out of curiousity I compared the price between one of these and a 1000cc rzr.

Nomad = $40k

RZR = $20k

The nomad may very well be better than the RZR at many things, but I bet its not $20,000 better

I'm betting the nomad doesn't have 4wd a low range and lockers. That's what makes the razor far superior in my book

As mentioned before, this is only if you need plates. Hell, any of the UTVs would probably kick this things ass in all but the highest speed runs. I have played with some of the Rangers and you can't get stuck, they go over EVERYTHING, and cost tons less. This is another rich guy toy like the Atom.

But it's not a good toy. For the 65 k price I saw listed it is not competitive

Plus you can plate the RZRs in many places like Arizona. And if you have 65k for a Ariel Nomad you can probably find a way to plate your RZR

icaneat50eggs wrote: But it's not a good toy. For the 65 k price I saw listed it is not competitive

It depends. For the longest time (and still now, sometimes) $10K Locosts were routinely beating Atoms at the track. Remember that toys aren't just about fun. They're about ego gratification and more. The guy who buys a Mercedes G-class when a jeep will do just fine is the same guy who might consider buying an Ariel when he can get a higher powered, more capable vehicle for less money elsewhere. Remember too, that this is a British car. The Limeys like to play in the mud, and don't have our extensive buggy culture to draw from. So the car could be a success without one ever coming to the states.

Yes, the British "green lane" experience is very different from the variety of off-road options we have in the US. Around here, we've got desert and rocks. Rolling would not be a challenge.

After watching the video I can see it as a rally, not real offroad type vehicle. You don't need the mammoth suspension travel our buggies have, and when you aren't trying to throw huge rooster tails out of giant paddle tires you probably don't need as much hp