Still working my way to the V8, but if you’d like to know how I own a less insane, though still completely mental Ariel Atom then click the image below.

Set up like a car show, there is no entrance fee, but you bring an unwrapped toy (or more) with a value of at least $10 as your “entrance”. As you’ll see in some of the pictures the event was very successful in its mission and I was completely blown away by the scale of the event.

It was December 5 and at 6AM was a very nippy drive. Full sheepskin jacket time! I guess that’s a bit of payback for all the time I’ve made fun of the Atom owners in the UK, when we’re running around in SoCal with sunscreen rather than oilskins.

As I mentioned, I was truly staggered at the size of the turnout of exotic and supercars. Amazing. There was too much to mention and I’m going to let photos do most of the talking. It’s safe to say if the parking lot had been auctioned, it would have cleared California’s debt crisis.

There literally were rows of Lambos, Ferraris, Porsches, Vipers and just about every other Marque of note. Usually when I go to a show it’s pretty easy to pick something I’d happily drive home if I wasn’t in the Atom. In this case it was next to impossible.

The Mercedes SLR, Ultima GT were obviously right up there, so was the Maserati GT

Quite frankly, there wasn’t much I wouldn’t have been thrilled to be driving home. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve long loved Mopars and there was a gorgeous ‘Cuda and a suspension-tweaked Charger that was the perfect “get out of the way” muscle car. Both lovely.

You would have to have no pulse to not love the Aston Martin V12 Vantage. Look at that motor. Biggest motor in the range, shoved into the smallest car in the fleet. Mighty fine starting point!

As I said the photos this time will tell most about the day. There really were some unique exotics like the stretched mini that apparently was built by Rolls Royce Coachworks. There was a true low rider that was just brilliant! Still not sure how the bottom of the motor wasn’t on the ground first!

There was the opportunity to get photographic evidence that Corvettes are incapable of reversing into parking spaces and frankly I’m not sure what the exotic was in the last of these 4 pics, but the paint was simply staggering. No way to get a photo to convey it properly.

An excellent way to spend a morning and many congratulations to the organizers for such a brilliant way to help kids that need it. Please visit MOTOR 4 TOYS

I think my personal winner of “car of the day” was this matte blacked Ford GT. I just love the idea of matte blacking top notch supercars. This really looked the menacing business.

Finally, I would like to leave you with a Christmas quiz. Apparently there is an L.A.P.D. Midget racing car hidden somewhere in this photograph. I have so far been unable to find it. If you can solve this puzzle, let me know.

If you’d like to know more about how I fund my fun with an Ariel Atom, would like to explore the idea of a home-based business of your own, or would just like to pay off Christmas debt, click on the image below, add your info (100% secure) and see if what I do is a fit for you too.

Merry Christmas!

Click on the image below if you’d like to find out more.

I was expecting the day to be hot in August, but was pleasantly surprised with it being overcast. I arrived at the Braille Institute at about 8AM and there were already quite a few cars getting ready for the Rallye.

The Braille Institute is a charitable organization that does not charge its students, yet gives them incredible help and learning. The reality is that the students will never have the opportunity to drive and so the Rallye was set up to give them the experience of driving and also to experience cool cars that those of us with the sight and luck to own and drive them, tend to take for granted.

The Brailye Rallye has been going for decades amazingly! This year was a very high turnout of drivers, cars and students which was great for everyone. Pat West and a host of volunteers did a brilliant job of organizing the Rallye.

If you want to know more about the Braille Institute, therefore, simply click the link to Braille Institute and you’ll get all the information you need.

The hardest part for me was getting the signs on the car. They are magnetic signs, which are all well and good if you have bodywork on the car – somewhat more challenging in the Atom! As you can see the elegant solution was to slather everything with miles of painters tape!

Each driver gets paired with a student. The students may be either totally blind or partially sighted. The idea is that the student reads instructions either in Braille or with large type. The drivers follow the instructions which are things like “CAST 42″ – which means Change Average Speed to 42mph. Other instructions tell you which direction to turn and when – for example it might be at the third stop sign and so on.

My co-driver was Kammie and she was fantastic. She was using large type and also Braille as she was studying Braille too. She has a great sense of humour and I knew we’d get on great throughout the Rallye. I think She was initially taken aback by the Atom, especially how you get in and out of it. That soon became a big smile as so many people said she was in the “coolest car”. (I’d be lying if I said that didn’t make me smile too!)

Kammie was giving me such great instructions that I thought we’d be in with a shout of a prize. I hadn’t factored in the impact that L.A. traffic would have on our time. We drove down to the Long Beach area on freeways and then via surface streets to Huntington Beach.

A picnic had been organized and laid on at a park at the end of the Rallye. Despite one driver error (not listening to instructions ) and the traffic, we both felt great that we had made it all the way to the end. As it turned out, our time was about 24 minutes off – the winning time was a mere 8 minutes off and a fantastic effort!

There were some fantastic cars there. There was what was either a real, or an utterly incredible replica of the Back to the Future DeLorean. There were in fact three DeLoreans in the Rallye. Herbie was there and cocked his wheel on the way out which amused me very much!

There were four CHP squad cars – the best law enforcement turnout in years and a big shout out for them and the effort they made. I hadn’t seen that many squad cars since my College days! If you look at the pic of the four officers together, I wish I could convey how much I wanted to ask them to start singing “YMCA”. I looked back at their belts and thought better of it! That level of maturity has only come with some years on my clock!

British cars were well represented with the Atom, Triumph, Aston Martin and a beautiful Sunbeam Tiger. There were Minis, Ferrari, Mercedes and all in all a great cross-section of cars.

All in all, a brilliant day out. There’s an old saying about winning not being important – it’s the taking part that counts. That is certainly true of the Braille Rallye. It was so much fun. The highlight for me was meeting Kammie. She has a great sense of humour and was a splendid co-driver. I hope I get to meet Kammie again, maybe at the next Braille Rallye! She does have a “competitive spirit” so I’d better get better at this Rallye thing if she’s my co-driver next year!

I have the ability to get involved in things like the Braille Rallye thanks to the freedom my home-based business affords me. I don’t know if mine is a fit for you or vice versa, but you deserve to take a look.

Click on the image below if you’d like to find out more.

Click the Atom 3 image for TMI or go to http://www.arielatom.com

The first new Dealer is Sector 111 in Temecula, California. The President of Sector 111 is Shinoo Mapleton. I had the pleasure of meeting Shinoo at the recent track day I attended. The track day was organized by Sector 111. Shinoo is on the left in the pic and in his words, not mine, is the one in danger of looking like corner marker cone!

http://sector111.com/

The second newly announced Dealer is Eddie Hill’s Fun Cycles in Wichita Falls, Texas.

For those that don’t know, Eddie Hill is a massive presence in the world of both Top Fuel dragsters and Top Fuel drag boats. Eddie was the first person to officially run the 1/4 mile in the 4 second bracket!

Being used to regularly going from 0-320 mph, Eddie’s commitment to the Ariel Atom team in the USA says all you need to know about the Ariel Atom and how much fun it is.

Eddie Hill’s Fun Cycles

Check out Eddie Hill’s Fun Cycles at:  http://www.eddiehillsfuncycles.com

Eddie is a regular contributor to our Owners Club forum. It was here that I saw he had developed two new mufflers for the Atom, through one of his racing associates – Flowmaster. Having read about that, I am now a proud owner of a Hushpower by Flowmaster “Eddie Hill Special” and I LOVE it! Sounds great and runs great. I’ll write a post about that.

Both new Dealers will be a fantastic asset for the growth and support of the Ariel Atom in the USA and it an exciting development for all.

Click on the image below if you’d like to find out more about how I get paid to own an Ariel Atom.

I had been feeling “the night before the first day of school” butterflies about the day all week, which I found really strange as I never get butterflies or nervous about very much at all. I had prepped the Atom as far as all fluids, tyres, etc., and was really looking forward to a massive “learning day”, rather than to set the World alight. As you can see I was joined by a whole group of Ariel Atoms.

The track day was organized by SECTOR 111 It was the first time I had met Shinoo of Sector 111. Shinoo’s brand new Ariel Atom 3 was delivered to the track. Sector 111 are now the authorized dealers for the Ariel Atom in California. If you want to know more about owning the Atom in California, therefore, simply click the link to SECTOR 111 and you’ll get all the information you need.

Mark Swain and Shawn from TMI had made the trip across from Virginia to be at the track day and also to be at an open house for Sector 111. TMI are the licensed manufacturers for the Ariel Atom in the USA. Mark and Shawn were fantastic to talk to. They answered any and all tech questions, gave great pointers and then Mark (who has probably more track time in Atoms than anyone) sat in the right seat with me so I could show him just how slow I was!

As I said, I was there for fun and to learn and I managed both. Mark debriefed me and gave me some solid things to focus on for when I go back.

It struck me as incredibly cool that Mark and Shawn would give so much time and energy, even though TMI had not made my Atom! TMI are an excellent company and their attitudes and integrity shone through. The construction, marketing and management of the Ariel Atom in the USA is plainly in extremely good hands at TMI. Click on the link HERE to find out more.

The Guys were here from TMI to accompany the delivery of Shinoo’s new Atom 3. This is a really “sorted” car. There are things I like better on mine, like the Sparco seats, but overall, there are noticeable improvements and it really looks “the business”. Mark took me out for a couple of demo laps.

Children may read this blog, so I wont type what I said as we went round the track. It was like being in an Atom for the first time – simply mind-blowing, stunning, incredible! To be in a brand new Atom, where she belongs in the hands of someone who could take it to the limit was extraordinary and makes me even more determined to make much more of mine!

My friend Nick then came out with me and with excellent use of hand signals showed me the braking, turning and shifting points. I was so far off, it was amazing. I was braking way early and “gently”, turning in early and just generally getting nowhere near the limits of the car.  I think I was so off as a combination of a sub-conscious preservation order for my Atom, that I was much more used to lines of fast bikes and the fact that I needed to just grow a pair!

Nick then took me out in the right seat in his. Again, stunning! The braking points were way beyond where I considered “crashing points” would be! He is really good and the track time and coaching he has had shone through.

It was fantastic to feel the capabilities of the Atom and I am absolutely determined to get way faster. I know that thanks to what Nick and Mark showed me, I will be able to improve hugely next time. I need to trust the brakes much more than I was and I’m sure that will rapidly improve.

The fees for the track day, the mileage to and from the track and other miscellaneous expenses are all tax deductible for me thanks to my home-based business. That means basically that Uncle Sam paid for my track day and is paying for me to own an Ariel Atom. If you are not taking advantage of the tax deductions available for having a home-based business, why on Earth aren’t you? They cost next to nothing. The effort you put into them is up to you, but the advantages are extraordinary.

Click on the image below if you’d like to find out more.

Woodland Hills is where I lived when I first moved to L.A. some 17 years ago. Hard to believe I’ve been here that long. It is a really nice place. I didn’t like it when I first moved there as it was the ultimate suburb to me, having come from rural UK. I’ll always remember walking to the grocery store as I did as matter of course in the UK, with people looking at me from their cars like I must be a criminal or insane for walking!

As you can see, the Atom was in good company again.

We were once again a molecule as my Mate Nick brought his Atom. I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out to be a really nice time. A couple of hours in the company of some very expensive hardware.

Cars and Coffee is a totally informal gathering of cars. It’s in a parking lot at a shopping mall. It’s something I absolutely love about SoCal – how the whole car culture evolved and continues to evolve with gatherings like this.

One of the things that really blows me away about owning an Atom, is that even in the presence of multiple millions of Dollars of automobiles, the Atoms always seem to draw the most attention. I know that I’m really biased, but the truth is that I would pick the Atom to drive home above all else in the parking lot. Admittedly, if I had more sense about me, I’d drive the Carrera GT home, sell it and buy 5 Atoms!

There really were some amazing vehicles there today for an informal gathering. There was what looked like and sounded like a real Shelby Daytona Coupe. If it was real, scratch my thought on the Carrera GT and I’d take the Daytona home and in fact not sell it at all, though it would buy 100 Atoms if it was the real deal.

I was chatting too much to get a snap of the Daytona before it left, but here are some pics I took:

So now that I no longer walk around in Woodland Hills, I like the place a lot better! I can see me spending more time there again as Cars ‘N’ Coffee is a weekly gathering, with a “big one” on the last Sunday of the Month.

My cruising plans got rearranged because of some inconsiderate running pedestrians having something called the L.A. Marathon! I mean who runs or walks in L.A.? Must be crazy people or criminals!

Had a lovely drive up Pacific Coast Highway instead. Over Topanga Canyon to Malibu, up the Coast to Port Hueneme and home across the 126. Splendid day.

It bears repeating that this is how I do business too! Marketing my business with the Atom is just the perfect win-win for me. If you’d like to know more about the global business that has me “working so hard” on days like this then please take a look.

Click on the image below if you’d like to find out more.

Thank you to my friend and fellow owner Rahul for the “tail shot” above.

As you can see, the weather was perfect, the grass was green, the cars were fantastic and it was just a great way to spend the day.

Jay Leno came by in his Bentley. He also owns an Atom, so he came and chatted with us for a good while. Really good Guy, down to Earth and seriously into cars! We got this Ariel Atom Owners Shot!

My other friends and Atom owners there were Nick, Chris, Dave, Rahul and of course Jay! A great bunch of Guys and probably the real high spot of owning an Atom has been getting to know other owners – and they are all cool (at least the ones I’ve met).

Our molecule was parked across from some lovely examples of Sunbeams.

As before, there were some fine cars and bikes. Parked next to us was a very fine TVR Griffiths. There were beautiful Rolls Royces, MGs, Minis galore, Lotus, Jaguars (still the sexiest cars ever!), an Allard and an Ultima GTR.

Here are a few pics I managed to snap:

Again, I highly recommend this show if you are in the area next year. Very laid back, loads of cool stuff I’m sure there will be a molecule again!

The really glorious thing is that Uncle Sam pays me $0.55 per mile to drive to and from shows, pays the entry fees and even buys me lunch and coffee. He does that because I have a home based business. It is inexpensive and easy and if you are willing to do some work with it, it can change your life as it has mine.

Click on the image below if you’d like to find out more.

When I first came to L.A. in 1993, one of the places I really wanted to go to was Bob’s Big Boy. The reason being I had long been into American cars and knew that Bob’s was right at the heart of the original Hot Rod and cruising scene.

It felt great the first time I went to the traditional Friday Night at Bob’s wandering around some amazing cars.

It is very hard to convey then, just how it feels to now only visit Bob’s Big Boy, but to be parked right by the walk up window on Friday Night at Bob’s in my own Ariel Atom. The feelings of being not real came flooding back as did the Cheshire Cat grin! Probably this is a cheesy thing to say, but it really felt like I had got a huge piece of my personal “American Dream”.

I was there with my friend George Hartmann who is also the Master Distributor of SponsorDaddy. We call this “Attraction Marketing”. Even though this was so much fun and such a cool thing to do, in handing out fliers about the Atom, we are actually also doing business!! This means that Uncle Sam is kind enough to pay me $0.55 per mile to go to Bob’s and he also bought the burgers! I can’t think of much better!

As always there were top notch cars there. My Mopar lust was fuelled again by an awesome RoadRunner that parked right next to me. The Oldsmobile 88 below was outstanding. It looked brand new, but smelled like it was still in the 50s (the windows were open and I stuck my nose in).

Bob’s Big Boy has added solar panels to the parking structure which will generate 1/3 of it’s electricity. Pretty cool that such an old established entity is taking the reins on eco action. Local Channel 7 were there to cover that story last night and there are glimpses of the Atom on their report here.

Honestly, this is the most attention that the Atom has ever had at a show. Almost all was very cool (whoever turned off the master electric switch and made it look like it was on was not cool at all).

George and I went to Bob’s Big Boy through a Canyon which shall remain nameless. The Ariel Atom is simply the most stunning experience imaginable even after all this time I’ve owned her. Breathtaking performance through a breathtaking Canyon. It’s impossible to convey what she feels like through twisties, especially uphill twisties.

I can’t tell you how it feels to do that, end up at Bob’s Big Boy, be doing business and getting paid to do all that! I have to say I can’t imagine how it gets better and I am very grateful for the business choices I’ve made that have got me there!

We took the Freeway back after a very cool few hours. If you’re in L.A. and you like cars, make it to Bob’s Big Boy on a Friday from 5-10PM – always worthwhile and if you’re like me, an amazing American cultural experience.

Click on the images below if you’d like to find out more about how I get paid to own an Ariel Atom.

I now live very near the heart of the US military aviation industry – the Skunkworks. Skunkworks are responsible for some of the very coolest planes on the planet – U2, F117 Stealth, B2 and of course the most astounding plane on the planet – the SR71 Blackbird.

There is an open museum here and true to my philosophy of “if you don’t ask, you don’t get”, I called to see if I could somehow get my Atom in a photoshoot with some of these awesome machines. With deep gratitude to former SR71 pilot Bill Flanagan and to Tony at Edwards AFB, I was able to live out a ton of fantasies and I have added some pics from that photoshoot below.

I still can’t believe the F117 is now retired. What an amazing piece of machinery it is. The A12 and SR71 of course are just breathtaking. I think the Atom might take the SR71 0-60, but it will probably have the upper hand from 60-2200!! With a takeoff speed of 240, a skin temperature up to 800 degrees (hence it’s construction from Titanium as aluminium melts at 300!), flying at 85,000ft and being an originator of stealth all in the early 1960s, Blackbird was a truly jaw-dropping leap in technology.

Here’s a link to the Wikipedia page for Blackbird

SR71 Blackbird Wikipedia

I’ll just leave you with some photos from what was truly as magnificent day for me. If you like the photos, please let Paige know at

Paige Photography

Click on the images below if you’d like to find out more about how I get paid to own an Ariel Atom and do this stuff!.

I get asked if people can take photos a lot, so I said, “sure, no problem, what is it for”?

They told me about their show called “Whipnotic” and that they would like to make the Atom the “Whip of the Week”. Whipnotic is a show on NBC 4 in Los Angeles on a Saturday.

They interviewed me about the car and filmed while they did so. Sure enough, the Ariel Atom was Whip of the Week and I did my best to not look completely stupid. The result is below, please let me know how I did. (allow a little time for the video to load).

Click on the images below if you’d like to find out more about how I get paid to own an Ariel Atom.