Ariel Atom vs Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk

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The Ariel Atom is a road legal high performance sports car made by the Ariel Motor Company based in Crewkerne, Somerset, England and under licence in North America by TMI Autotech, Inc. at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

There have been seven Ariel Atom generations to date: Ariel Atom, Ariel Atom 2, Ariel Atom 3 (including the Ariel Atom 3 Mugen Limited Edition and Honda Racing Edition - of which only 10 of each were made) Ariel Atom 3.5, Ariel Atom 3S, Ariel Spec:Race Atom, and Ariel Atom 500 V8 Limited Edition (only 25 to be made).

The current models are the Ariel Atom 3 (US), 3.5, the more powerful 3.5R, the 3S (US), the Spec:Race Atom (US), and the limited production Ariel Atom 500 V8 with a 500 bhp (373 kW; 507 PS) V8 engine.

The Ariel Atom features a prominently visible chassis (i.e., an exoskeleton, no roof or windows, a small optional windscreen and a relatively high drag coefficient of 0.40.

The Atom began as a student project by Coventry University transport design student, Niki Smart.

Known then as the LSC (Lightweight Sports Car), it was developed at the university in 1996 with input and funding from various automotive industry members, including British Steel and TWR.

Ariel Motor Company boss Simon Saunders was a senior lecturer whose responsibility for the project was primarily as financial manager and design critic for Smart, whom he described as "The best all-round design student I've ever seen."

The car was first shown publicly at the British International Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham in October 1996.