This Mutant Buggy Is Coming Stateside, Hungry to Burn Rubber

0-60 in 3.4 seconds, gents. Want one? Hop in.

May 26, 2016 9:00 am

It’s not every day you come across an adult play toy like the Ariel Nomad, let alone news that this “only available in Britain” freak of a dune buggy is finally getting a US release.

Today is that day. And may God bless the Queen.

Hailing from across the pond, the Ariel Nomad is a 1,480-pound beast powered by a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder Honda K24 engine that runs 230 horses through a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission. In other words: thing goes 0-60 in 3.4 seconds and tops out at 125 mph.

Equipped with elevated ground clearance, chunky off-road tires, and a soft suspension, the rear-wheel drive vehicle is capable of handling dirt roads, gravel paths and paved highways with ease.

The Nomad comes in two models — the Sport ($78,200) and Tactical ($90,450) — and each of them can be customized with a plethora of options including a custom paint job, a heated glass windscreen and a fire extinguisher kit that will hopefully remain in pristine condition.

The jacked-up buggies are being manufactured in the United States by TMI AutoTech in Virginia and the company plans to start fulfilling orders in July. “Urban assault, tearing up trails, or just a unique commuter — the Ariel Nomad is the all-terrain version of it’s brother the Atom,” according to TMI.

For proof of the Nomad’s pedigree, meet its aforementioned brother.

Get in.

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