A SOUTH Somerset company has fought through lockdown to release its latest ground-breaking product.

Ariel Motors is based near Crewkerne, and last week launched the new Ariel Nomad R.

The company released its first car in 2000 and the business took off after its first feature on Top Gear in 2004.

In 2015, the small business launched the first iteration of the Ariel Nomad.

A supercharged version dropped in 2016, and now the team has released the Nomad R - billed by Ariel as the ‘ultimate version’ of the Nomad.

Production was delayed for three months by coronavirus, but having a small workforce helped Ariel to adapt to the government’s Covid-19 guidelines.

Henry Siebert-Saunders, manager of Nomad development, said: “It’s incredibly quick but also very driveable and above all fun.

“We’ve used knowledge gained from over 5 years of the Nomad, 15 years of supercharging Honda engines and the Atom 3.5R drive train to make this a truly staggering car.”

The specifications of the Nomad R have been designed and tuned towards tarmac rally.

While every Ariel vehicle can be customised by the buyer, the standard Nomad R accelerates from 0-60mph in 2.9seconds with a top speed of 121mph.

Henry added: “Our aim was to give maximum acceleration and in gear performance, rather than outright top speed.

“Feedback from our customers shows that top speed is becoming increasingly academic and even on many UK tracks is limited.

“It’s not only extraordinarily rapid but it will put a smile on your face which underlines our company motto – serious fun.”

For more, visit arielmotor.co.uk.