Brammo Builds “Track Day” Cars

Brammo Builds “Track Day” Cars

With a business name like Brammo Motorsports, the products would have to be extraordinary. As it turns out, anything produced at the firm is on the cutting edge, or perhaps a bit over. The U.S. manufacturer of the Ariel Atom 2, a road legal, high performance race car, has made its home in Ashland, Oregon, and is taking the U.S. auto making industry for an exciting ride. Brammo is also taking transportation to new levels of power, style and environmental proficiency.

Jay Leno is so taken with the Ariel Atom he added one to his highly publicized collection of rare and pricey show vehicles. And those with a serious case of machine lust, who dream of owning a car that is as fast and furious as a Ferrari, don’t mind paying the price for speed produced when a 300-horsepower engine gets dropped into a perfectly designed, precisely engineered chassis. “For auto enthusiasts, there’s no better value in the world,” says Brammo Founder and President Craig Bramscher. “Owners of Ariel Atoms are getting their slice of the American pie.”

The Ariel Atom is an example of form following function and engineering that dictates aesthetics. For years, only select Americans could afford the shipping and other costs of importing a car referred to as “the fastest way to have fun on four wheels.” Therefore, Ariel Motor Company in Britain signed a deal with Brammo Motorsports to manufacture the Atom in the United States.

“Licensing manufacture of the Atom is a big step for us, however we’re not only confident that the Atom is going to be an enormous success in the USA, but that this is the beginning of something really interesting between the two companies,” explained Simon Saunders of Ariel Motor Company.

With an initial goal to simply “build cool cars,” Bramscher sold his Malibu-based software business and set out to identify opportunities that would turn his passion for transportation into a thriving business. At the time, he wasn’t that knowledgeable about clean technology. But when Bramscher discovered he could be innovative and ecologically minded at the same time, he took full advantage of the opportunity. Today, Bramscher’s mission statement to “Build Exciting Transportation with a Global Conscious” reflects this dual philosophy.

Bramscher formed the company in 2002, calling it Brammo, a nickname given to him by his high school football coach—a title that followed him through college and beyond. With a passion for building cars and the talent to build a qualified team of professionals, Bramscher gathered the industry’s best. Today, he brainstorms with Lead Engineer Michael Sorensen, Lead Designer Brian Wismann and others to identify new niche markets and create plans for future development.

In its first year, Brammo grew from a few employees to nearly 70. With a strategic growth plan in place, the firm’s executive management team is expecting to have 100 people working to make and market technologically advanced vehicles by 2008. With an increase of up to 1,500 employees in the following 10 years, Brammo hopes to become one of Jackson County’s largest employers, offering career advancement with good wages, and in partnership with city officials, affordable housing opportunities to support its workforce.

According to Bramscher, Brammo has the potential to generate billions of dollars within the next decade. “I’m interested in creating jobs, bringing revenue into the valley and caring for families,” says Bramscher, adding that he works with 120 vendors with the majority of them based in Oregon. “To do that, we have to continue with our momentum, remain conscious of the environment, and remember to work for the benefit of the community.”In addition to the Ariel Atom, Bramscher and his team have developed a Clean Tech electric vehicle that can reduce a drivers “carbon footprint” by up to 90% when used for commuting instead of a traditional gasoline powered car. ¦

For more information, visit www.brammo.com or call 541-482-9555.