Say hello to the latest evolution of Ariel Motor's barely there bolide, the Atom 3.5R. It swipes the Sadev six-speed sequential gearbox from its bygone V8 brother, giving the 3.5R the ability to swap cogs in 40 milliseconds. The supercharged Honda Type R 2.0-liter engine gets help from a new sidepod-mounted intercooler and increased boost from 7.5 to 11 psi, so horsepower rises from 310 to 350 at a dizzying 8,400 rpm, torque to 253 pound-feet. The sidepod opposite holds an oil cooler. Set in a car that weighs 1,212 pounds, the package will clock a 0-60 mile per hour time of 2.5 seconds, another 3.5 seconds will get you to one hundred.

Suppleness also gets an upgrade with Öhlins adjustable TTX dampers and Öhlins springs, an adjustable limited-slip differential and four-piston calipers on vented discs all around. The price is 80,000 of the Queen's British pounds, which converts to about $135,000 of our dollars but you can keep them in your pocket because the 3.5R won't come here. According to Road & Track, however, Ariel's official US importer said we'll see something with "a similar specification... as soon as a few weeks from now."