Ariel Nomad 2

Follow-up to 2015’s mixed-discipline special is said to be better in every way – and much more powerful When it comes to fast cars and implausibly long suspension travel, the cat exited the sack some time ago: done well, we know it can be an extraordinarily rewarding combo.So much so that Porsche and Lamborghini have recently got in on the act. Anybody who has driven the dirt-road-ified 911 Dakar or Huracán Sterrato knows that if it’s B-road larks you’re after, a bit of extra pitch and roll and a disarmingly plush ride can really up the ante.But what about the entity responsible for opening up this sack? You could make the case that it was the Ariel Motor Company of Somerset.In 2015, long before the major manufacturers got involved, this tiny outfit took its super-lightweight Atom track-day blade and turned it into something Baja-y.The Ariel Nomad wasn’t the first jacked-up, knobbly tyred, tubular-framed toy ever to exist but, because of its maker's reputation, people took it seriously.It was no surprise to find that the car was indeed beautifully put together and uniquely brilliant to drive.Now, nine years on, there’s a Mk2. It's faster, does bigger jumps and already has a two-year-plus waiting list. After all, every Ariel is still built one person to one chassis. It’s painstaking work.