Aside from the eccentricity that you?d expect from any British sports-car maker, Ariel has already developed a reputation for innovation that belies its diminutive size. From the original skeleton-framed Atom sports car, the company has diversified into motorcycles, high-performance off-road buggies, and now?the strangest turn so far?has built a prototype version of a fan-assisted ?sucker car? that can generate significant downforce, even when stationary. And yes, they have nicknamed it the Vacuum Cleaner.
The idea is not new of course, with Ariel founder Simon Saunders admitting his company has taken inspiration from both the 1970 Chaparral 2J racer and the Gordon Murray?designed Brabham BT46B “fan car” that raced, briefly, in the 1978 Formula 1 championship before being withdrawn. Like them, the Atom AERO-P uses fans to create a low-pressure area underneath the car, sealed behind rubber skirts and additional ducting, to effectively suck it to the ground. Although no numbers have been released yet, Ariel says the system produces significant downforce, with the car visibly squatting on it at rest with the system energized, but with no increase in drag on the move. While the Chaparral and Brabham racers both used secondary internal-combustion engines to power their fans, the AERO-P uses two electric motors and a separate battery pack and is only intended to run for brief periods at a time, increasing cornering force, braking performance, or traction. The idea is...