Oh happy day! I love sports cars – true sports cars. I’m talking simple, light, fun vehicles that put smiles on faces. I love Mazda’s Miata for this reason; but the Miata is (for me) just not fast enough. You can move up to something like a Lotus Elise or Exige, but it’ll cost you BIG $. Enter the Ariel Atom…

Previously only available in Europe, TMI Auto Tech will now be importing the Atom to our shores. This go-kart looking fun machine features a standard 219hp Honda 4 cylinder. Starting price? $49,980. Before you start screaming about only 219hp for 50k, let me explain.

The Ariel Atom is all about power-to-weight. This mean little beast tips the scales at just over 1,300lbs. That, combined with sticky tires and the peaky Honda motor translates to a 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds. Lamborghini’s be damned! And to top it off, there’s even more powerful engines available or you can choose to buy a rolling chassis that you drop a motor of your choice in.

Still, I would think you could build a Lotus Super 7 kit car with the same, or better, power to weight for a lot less than $50k; plus you’d get the 7′s classic good looks.