Ariel Atom Wannabe Built From Scratch in China

Building a car from scratch is something that takes plenty of engineering know-how, a smattering of determination and a dash of loopy juice; and with the help of his 5-year old daughter this is what a guy from China has managed to accomplish from the comfort of his shed. To start the project a few rusty bars are used to build the chassis before the wheels are added. Next, the seats are put in place, and an engine is installed sourced from a Suzuki Alto GX600, reliable if not a little short on horsepower.

A rear suspension is then attached to the frame, followed by lights, an exhaust system, and monster brakes. The sheet metal can then be bashed into place giving the car a distinctive Ariel Atom shape, while white alloys, an old Alto dash, and a nice lick of paint complete the wannabe, which to be fair looks like one drivable little machine! A brief description and a few pictures don't do this home-built runner justice. It was a year in the making, and the man behind the project may well have seen his marriage break down as a result of his prolonged effort, spending thousands of hours getting this car in working order with his daughter by his side.

The brief specs for the car we have include a 0-62mph time of 10.0 seconds; a 60-0kmh braking distance of 10m; engine displacement of 0.8 liters; a weight of 550kg; and engine power of 40hp. More go kart than car, nonetheless we'd love to see it up and running just like the previous home-made Chinese Atom we reported on a few months back; alas we'll have to make do with these pictures and our imagination.