Sorry, someone appears to have dumped a pile of random scaffolding on your lawn. I'll help you shift it.
Not so fast; that's no random pile of scaffolding - that's the new Ariel Nomad, the off-road brother to the legendary Atom sports car.
Hang on. Ariel has been bitten by the 4x4 bug?
Yes, it certainly has. Well, sort of. You see the Nomad isn't actually four-wheel drive; it uses the same rear-wheel drive layout as the little Atom sports car, as well as things like the instrument pack, steering and much of the chassis. Ariel's founder, Simon Saunders, told us that "there are things that we can do at low volume that you simply couldn't contemplate with mass production. We understand niche markets and we understand customers' demands completely. Everything we have learnt from the Atom has gone into Nomad and it shows. Nomad is Atom's tough brother and a continuation of our 'serious fun' philosophy. If we can put a smile on people's faces, on road or off it, we have done our job."
Henry Siebert-Saunders, Simon's son who headed up development for the Nomad, added: "It's a bit of a moment for us. It will be the first Ariel that has a roof and doors."
Hang on. Roof and doors?
Yup, the first Ariel product to have them, even if they're optional, as is a windscreen. Most owners will probably buy the Nomad for a bit of off-road buggy fun, but like the track-focused Atom, it's road legal and seeing as off-roading is often a winter sport, Ariel has decided to offer customers a bit of protection if they want it.
Power comes from a Honda engine, like pretty much all other Ariel cars. This time it's a long-stroke 2.4-litre petrol unit, lifted from the Accord, which Ariel has tweaked a bit to produce 235hp and 300Nm of torque. It's claimed to be able to crack 0-60mph in just 3.4 seconds. Yes, off road too.
Ariel reckons that the lack of four-wheel drive is overcome by the big torque, the low weight (it's just 670kg) and the special tyres. It has been tested on forest rally stages and tarmac circuits alike and Ariel is dropping big hints that an assault on the Dakar rally could well be in the offing.
In the meantime you can buy one yourself for £27,500 + VAT.
And that scaffold on your lawn?
Look, you really haven't been paying attention have you? Just watch the video below...
Neil Briscoe - 7 Jan 2015