Ariel Atom
In Flanders, another striking car is being banned. This time it affects the British eye-catcher Ariel Atom 3, an ultra-light sports car in which you are at the mercy of the elements.
Flanders is now closing the door to the Ariel Atom, writes the Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad . “The European safety requirements have been tightened considerably, and we automatically follow them,” it sounds. This is much to the frustration of a resident of Antwerp who recently purchased such an Atom. It is possible that the car can still be registered in Wallonia, because a different regime applies there.
For a fan from the province of Antwerp, the blow really hit hard. His copy – price tag: €50,000 to €80,000, depending on the options – appears to no longer be able to be registered in Flanders. After the Cybertruck was previously rejected, the Ariel Atom 3 is also on the blacklist because the car is not safe enough.
The Ariel Atom has no roof, no doors, but explosive acceleration. The car became especially known after former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson drove it. The recordings showed his face completely distorted by the wind when the Atom goes all out.
The car is indeed not really safe. It is actually little more than a tubular frame on wheels with a steering wheel and engine. And what kind of engine: the fourth generation of this model uses a two-liter turbo engine from the Honda Civic Type-R. That means 320 hp and an acceleration of 0-100 kilometers per hour within three seconds. The car weighs barely more than 600 kilograms. Critics of the ban emphasize that many motorcycles are at least as fast and offer even less safety.
New regulations
The Atom is loud, raw and unforgettable, but also unforgiving: the older versions have no safety options such as ABS and ESP. There have been several serious crashes with the Atom 3, such as last year in the Belgian town of Meulebeke, when the driver lost control. In 2012, a Flemish journalist died during a ride with the sports car.
The Flemish Department of Mobility and Public Works (MOW) confirms that the sports car no longer meets the stricter European standards. New imports are simply no longer allowed. “The Atom 3 does not meet the current regulations, including in the area of pedestrian protection and braking tests,” the department told Het Nieuwsblad . According to MOW, the British manufacturer does not provide all the mandatory test reports. The decision caused a lot of unrest within the sports car world in recent months. The aggrieved owner from Antwerp even went to the Council of State, but to no avail. His car has been sitting idle in the garage for months.
That makes the measure extra spicy: for years, Atom 3 models could be registered without any problems. “Cars that have been approved before will remain so,” confirms MOW. According to the Belgian importer, there are around 50 copies driving around in Flanders. In the Netherlands, where the car is not yet banned, around 515 vehicles of the Ariel brand were registered in 2020.
In the United Kingdom, the police even opted for the Atom.
Cybertruck
As with the Cybertruck, Flanders is also closing the popular ‘back door’ that some owners use: registering their car in another EU country and then bringing it to Flanders via a European validation procedure. “Only those who comply with all European rules will be allowed on the road,” MOW emphasizes.
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