Coloured ceramic coating adorns exclusive Ariel Atom V8 supercar

06 October 2010

Ariel’s new Atom V8 supercar is the first OEM application of Zircotec’s Performance Colours ceramic exhaust coating, which provides an aesthetically pleasing and effective thermal barrier. Specified by Ariel to enhance the appearance of the car's exposed and visible exhaust system, the plasma-sprayed coating also ensures that the surface temperature of the exhaust components serving the Atom V8's 500bhp, three litre engine, does not pose a heat transfer problem to other parts of the chassis.

In motorsport applications, the coating is achieving surface temperature reductions of over 30 percent, providing an effective solution to the problem of heat management in such confined, high-power applications. Currently, over 70 percent of the F1 grid is using Zircotec coatings to take advantage of their durability and performance benefits.

Ariel is the first vehicle manufacturer to specify one of Zircotec’s coloured ceramics. The Atom V8’s exposed powder coated chassis, coloured gold for the limited run of just 25 cars, provided an opportunity to use a coating that would complement this finish, while providing a much longer-lasting alternative to ‘high temperature’ paint finishes.

Each exhaust component is hand sprayed using a plasma torch running at over 12,000°C at Zircotec’s new Abingdon factory. The molten ceramic is applied to the components, which have previously received a proprietary nickel-based bond coat, to a thickness of just under 350 microns.