zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
When An Ariel Atom Wasn't Good Enough, He Built These Insane Track Toys
When An Ariel Atom Wasn't Good Enough, He Built These Insane Track Toys-January 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:29

After owning a host of the usual track rats, including an Elise, an Exige, an Atom, and a Westfield kit car, Dennis Palatov figured that he could improve upon the superlight track-warrior. So, he started making his own kits, including one Pikes Peak-worthy beast that accelerates from 0-60 mph in 1.8 seconds.

Minute Rice Channel spent the time examining several of ’s kit builds at Oregon Raceway Park, and what Palatov and his team cooked up is pretty amazing.

The fastest of these, the D1, gets that insane 1.8-second 0 to 60 mph figure with a clever combination of 1,100 lbs, all-wheel-drive and over 430 horsepower. The turbocharged variant placed third at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Unlimited Class this year.

To put that feat in perspective, Unlimited Class is where nearly anything goes and the competition is insane. This year’s Unlimited Class winner was none other than Le Mans-winning Porsche factory driver .

Palatov, on the other hand, told Minute Rice’s Graham Dale in an email interview that he came from a computer engineering background—not an automotive one. He and the company’s five other employees from Portland, Ore., were largely self-taught on automotive design, but did it anyway because they love the sport. Amazingly, all of the cars’ custom components are made in-house at Palatov’s Portland headquarters.

The other cars are just as impressive—and perhaps even more so considering the small team. The D2 is a more garden-variety two-seat LS V8-powered lightweight track kit for proven, reliable thrills. The D2RS features a supercharged LSA motor, thrusting the D2's 1,900-lbs forward with a ridiculous 660 wheel HP. It also went to Pikes Peak to win Open Class in 2015.

Want to go smaller? There’s the D4, which makes an appearance here with a Hayabusa engine. It’s the cheapest of the three at $65,000—steeper than a beater Miata, but comparable to other track-focused cars—but you’ll still hit 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, and as demonstrated in the video, you can tow it there with a humble Audi A4.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Huge Crash Crumples Mark Webber's Porsche 919 Into A Little Fiery Ball
Huge Crash Crumples Mark Webber's Porsche 919 Into A Little Fiery Ball
A massive crash took Mark Webber in the number 20 Porsche out of the race in the last hour of the World Endurance Championship's 6 Hours of São Paulo. The Porsche 919 collided with Matteo Cressoni in the number 90 Ferrari 458 of 8 Star Motorsports, then hit the wall....
Jan 15, 2026
Darth Vader, Your Race Car Has Arrived
Darth Vader, Your Race Car Has Arrived
Famed Reiter Engineering has made a GT3 racer that looks as mean as it sounds. Think Lamborghini has gotten too soft and Audi-like? This is the race car for you. "The surprising and at the same time overwhelming popularity of our showed us that for motorsport fans at least a...
Jan 15, 2026
This Is The Craziest Rally Stage I've Ever Seen
This Is The Craziest Rally Stage I've Ever Seen
China has some of the most brutal rallies in existence, and it's not hard to see why. A lot of it has to do with the rough roads they run on. Here's a constantly twisty road that straddles drop-offs on both sides. Consequences for turning the wrong way are pretty...
Jan 15, 2026
Watch Sebastian Vettel Totally Rip Off Jeff Gordon's
Watch Sebastian Vettel Totally Rip Off Jeff Gordon's "Test Drive" Stunts
Take prominent race car driver. Disguise as an everyday user of vehicles, if not a bit of a rube. Put in car. Put "unknowing" passengers in car. Terrify passengers. We've , haven't we? Bless their hearts, German Haus of Tireschnitzel Tirendo copied the format from Jeff Gordon's Pepsi Max ads...
Jan 15, 2026
The Most Interesting Things For Sale At The Marussia F1 Team Auction
The Most Interesting Things For Sale At The Marussia F1 Team Auction
Now Formula One team Marussia brings you a selection of gifts for the racer who has everything. Ever fancied a Formula One car, a sweet transporter or some of the high-tech tools used in F1 car design? Want the stillborn 2015 design for your wall? Check out the on December...
Jan 15, 2026
Watch A Le Mans Prototype Explode Into Confetti Like A Giant Piñata
Watch A Le Mans Prototype Explode Into Confetti Like A Giant Piñata
Olivier Pla of G-Drive Racing isn't having a great day in his World Endurance Championship prototype racer. Brake failure caused Pla to miss a braking point at the 6 Hours of São Paulo and whack into one of Interlagos' barriers at speed. The resulting smash looks more like an exploding...
Jan 15, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved