Breaking the conversation is an eerie sound melding radio controlled car and a scalded cat with a hint of Honda Civic

Whose stupid idea was this again, asked Martin standing patiently next to the bright red Radical SR3 Tracksport. It's 7:05am and parked next to the Radical is a yellow Caterham Gulf 7 260.

Sat on the rollcage of the G7, legs dangling into the cabin, waiting for one other car before we all head off on our little adventure I enjoy what will be a short-lived morning temperature, pleasant with a gentle breeze. This could be all right after all. It is my idea, I admit it, and a silly one so my comrades think, but they are here, so this idea must have struck a chord clear enough to rustle them out of bed so early. Most are dressed in shorts and t-shirt. I've opted for jeans, and for a good reason too. Not only is the footwell of the G7 260 a breeding ground for excessive heat, but the car we are waiting on is an Ariel Atom; no doors, no bodypanels, nothing to protect you from the stone shrapnel and rocketing rubble that'll do their utmost to attach themselves to your shins and crotch like 250kph magnets.

Breaking the conversation of today's fashion is an eerie sound, melding radio controlled car and a scalded cat with a hint of Honda CivicÉ The automotive amalgamation doesn't stop roadside and carefully feel its way off the tarmac and tip-toe at a weird angle to avoid the sump or spoiler making contact with the ground. No it just fires off the asphalt, onto the dusty rock-strewn carpark and onto where the Radical and Caterham are parked. The rendezvous is the Gulf Sport workshop, and its not long before motoring editor Bassam is out of his Atom requesting the aid of spanners. The flexy one-piece seat seems to be wedged back as far as it'll go and still his knees are up around his ears. Gulf Sport's Martin and Gary do what little can be done and give Bassam the benefit of an extra 10mm. It's enough to put a smile on the face of Bassam, who is also in shorts. Am I being too serious, or too cautious?

Heading out onto Um Sequim road I immediately feel like the old lady of the bunch, a bit dated if I must be honest as for the initial stint I'm rolling in the G7. Amidst the obvious race car kudos of the Radical and the bionic clean sheet of paper feat of engineering that is the Ariel, the Gulf 7 260 looks, well, wrong. And it's a view shared by everyone present, when we stop for fuel a few minutes later.

Yet following the Atom in either the G7 or the SR3 makes you glad you're in something with style. From the rear, admittedly, the Atom looks like a dumping ground of scaffolding which has come crashing around an exposed engine compartment, but as you peel across a lane to run alongside this pipe-dream machine you realise what a thing of beauty it is. Skeletal in construction, lacking in body panels, or any sense of logic, the Atom is a truly loony proposition for the Middle East This one in particular more loony than most, having a Jackson Racing supercharger bolted onto its 1998cc Honda Civic Type-R engine - the most powerful here by 40bhp - with 300bhp and the fact we're running on full race slicks, without a front-numberplate or the usual rear wing that is (in layman's terms) meant to keeps this rocket stuck to the tarmac.

The SR3 in stark contrast looks truly awesome on the road, from any angle. Slotted in the back of the steel-spaceframed SR3 Tracksport is a 1300cc four-cylinder engine robbed from a Suzuki Hayabusa, fettled by Powertec. The same company also supply the awesome six-speed sequential transmission that allows clutchless change-ups. This is the first time I've been accompanied on the road by a Radical, and one thing's for sure it's a real pig to get off every junction cleanly, and if it sits there too long it'll over-heat, but once on the move the SR3 is memorably fast along the straights and boy those brakes are like nothing else. The bike-powered Radical may have 55bhp less than the G7 and 95bhp less than the Atom, but with a kerb weight of only 490kg our red SR3 is silencing quite a few sceptics as it navigates its way competently through side streets, main highways and over potholes! The sheer corning ability of the Radical, even when the road surface really does get a bit too bumpy, is unsurpassed, and has everyone in awe today. While the other two are quicker, they have to lift before the corner. The SR3 does not.

ARIEL ATOM
Engine: In-line 4-cyl, 1998cc iVTEC, JacksonRacing supercharged
Location: Mid, transverse
Max power: 300bhp @ 8200rpm
Max torque: 162lb ft @ 7200rpm
Transmission: Six-speed, rear-wheel drive
Suspension: Double unequal length TIG welded fabricated wishbones, Inboard Bilstein adjustable monotube dampers, High  grade alloy steel two piece Eibach coil springs, all front and rear
Brakes: Alcon 290mm front/240mm rear, ventilated grooved discs, 4 pot calipers
Wheels: 7x15 / 8x16 Dymag magnesium
Tyres: 195//50R15 Yokohama A048 front, 225/40R16 rear (factory set-up)
Weight: 550kg
Power to weight: 554bhp/ton
0-100kph: 3.3sec (recorded)
Max speed: 250kph (claimed)
Basic price: $ 67, 000 (estimate)
Evo Rating: 4 Star

Anything metal or carbonfibre seems to soak up the sun....like a sponge And it hurts.A lot.

The sun is now rising nicely and the once balmy temperature quickly surrenders. It's hot now, and the only thing we can do is drive faster to get some much-needed air into the Spartan cabins. We jump from car to car with enthusiasm, but soon discover how damn hot these cars can get within moments of parking. Anything metal or carbonfibre seems to soak up the sun, like a sponge. It hurts too. A lot. No matter how hard we try, coming up with inventive means of alighting our mad machines it catches us out every time. If it's not fingertips, elbows, or the small of the back as the damp t-shirt lifts as you jump in - your exposed skin sticking to the furnace of the bucket seat - it's being branded by the harness buckle. And hell on a stick, are the helmets toasty. The metal ringlets that the chinstraps weave through may as well have been left in an oven on gas mark 4 for twenty minutes.

Crickey this really is a dumb idea, as I now wave the immobiliser fob under the dash to get the terrifying tubular and tubbed modular-two-seater of an Atom going. Waiting for the light to go out, with salty sweat painfully stinging my eyes, all there is to do is pray to whatever's going and press the rubber starter button. Going through this ignition sequence brings out goosebumps in places I never thought possible.

In the safety of fourth gear I plant the throttle, only to hit the rev limit a second later and to now be facing in an unfamiliar direction. I was stupidly still in second, obviously miss-shifting out of the roundabout. I go for what is clearly third and try again. I hit the rev limit just as quick. We're not in third, we're in fifth and by my calculations we need another four gears to keep up with this power onslaught. Thinking sixth would calm the temper of the screaming charger inches away from where we sit I snatch the necessary gear and floor it again. Wrong. It's tempting to think that Ariel has fitted the six-speed gearbox of this particular Atom with a casing full of second gears, by accident. And it shows, as it's over-taking the other two, again. On the long open straights the Atom is off again like a banshee, but come the tight corners and reservation allows the Caterham and Radical past; the confidence fed back through the steering wheel of the G7 is not there, nor the enormous grip generated by the Radical's downforce.

RADICAL SR3
Engine: In-line 4-cyl 1300cc 16v Powertec
Location: Mid, longitudinal
Max power: 208bhp @ 9500rpm
Max torque: 120lb ft @ 6500rpm
Transmission: Powertec six-speed sequential, rear- wheel drive
Suspension: Front & rear patented 'Nik' suspension system. Double wishbone with fully floating, single adjustable coil-over dampers, and 'Nik' anti-roll system
Brakes: Four-pot calipers front & rear, 260mm vented discs front & rear
Wheels: Cast alloy, 7x15in front, 8x16in rear
Tyres: Radical-spec wets
Weight: 490kg
Power to weight: 425bhp/ton
0-100kph: 3.5sec (recorded)
Max speed: 233kph (claimed)
Basic price: $ 81, 000 (approx: depending on spec) Price includes freight and duty from UK to the UAE
evo Rating: 4 Star

'Unlike the Atom, the Caterham can exploit its first cog properly'

Every time I drive the nutty 300bhp Ariel I sigh an air of relief when I'm parked again, in neutral, ignition off, harnesses un-belted and two feet away from the blistering Brit-built creation. I made it back, alive, again.

Actually we're all lucky we've made it this far. It's not the fact that we are in the middle of the desert without a roof apiece, or windows, or windshield for that matter, doors, air-conditioning, or rear view mirror in the case of the Atom and the Radical. No it's the fact the Radical is really too low to tackle any size of speed bump, the Caterham really should be at home tucked up in bed with a Lemsip and a good book, while the Atom should have known better than muscle along with the most horsepower, no front-numberplate and slicks that demand 80-degrees of heat in them to operate properly, thus safely. But the Radical is here, requiring a four-man team to remove the panel fasteners, nose section and light assembly every time the car nears a speed bump - allowing the car to carefully negotiate these obstructions. On hands and knees our on-hand mechanic Gary being kept busy, all day.

Surprisingly the wide body SV Caterham is here too, requiring a close eye on the water temperature, oil pressure and peculiar noises from the 2.3-litre four- cylinder Cosworth Duratec! For only a week or so ago we'd hit a catastrophic brickwall, blowing the headgasket, warping the cylinderhead and splitting most of the external rubber hoses. It was touch and go for a long time, but 'old yella' pulled through and, so far today, is proving its worth. Actually this is its first outing since invasive surgery and our G7 260 is doing more than keeping up with the other two, it's leading them.

Unlike the Atom, the Caterham can exploit its first cog properly, if you've pointed the G7 in a straight line, bagging 100kph in a crisp 3.1 seconds, without needing to change into second; this is the beauty of the Caterham. The Surrey super-shuttle seriously shocked everyone with this feat, and for the case in point, the bike-registered Atom and a few bikes too.

I'm never disappointed to be back in the Caterham, a car that in theory has had fifty years to settle into itself and find its feet. It may be the golden oldie of this crowd but it is comfortable with what it is. And it feels it too. Totally at ease on road and track, it is the most composed, although softer than you'd expect with the most body roll through the corners. The G7 is calculated, and predictable - even down to the initial threat of understeer you have to nervously ride through every fast corner, before powering oversteer through with finesse. Try this with the Atom and you'll be facing backwards, wedged indefinitely into the pearly gates.

CATERHAM G7
Engine: In-line 4cyl, 2261cc Cosworth Duratech, Cosworth throttlebodies
Location: Front, longitudinal
Max power: 260bhp @ 7500rpm (as tested)
Max torque: 200lb ft @ 6200rpm
Transmission: Caterham six-speed, rear-wheeldrive
Suspension: Adjustable double wishbone, coil-over damper, with roll bar. Rear: Adjustable double wishbone, coil-over damper, with roll bar
Brakes: Vented 254mm discs front and254mm solid rear,
Wheels: 6.5x15in front, 9x15in rear Caterham 8-spoke anthracite
Tyres: 195/45 front, 245/40 rear Avon CR500
Weight: 565kg
Power to weight: 460bhp/ton
0-100kph: 3.1sec (recorded)
Max speed: 250kph (claimed)
Basic price: $ 60,000 (depending on spec)
Evo Rating: 4 Star

The cross winds as we hoot through the desert are putting a stop to any serious top-end play today, as even the Caterham starts to display what the Atom was feared for at 30kph. It is then that the Radical comes into a realm of its own. It may be the size of a shoe, weighing about the same as the box it came in - but it acts like it should (a racecar on the road) veering off following the tracks in the road like a tram, the Radical requiring both hands firmly gripped around the steering wheel, to counter-battle the drag-effect. It was the least practical in terms of speed bumps and any debris left in the road. With a plumbed-in fire extinguisher parked in the passenger footwell it was also completely useless in carrying any luggage, or a full-grown adult for that matter. It was also awkward to change gear if your passenger was not sat skewed to the right. It hated being stuck in traffic too, not taking too kindly to being stationary without any air getting to the engine. On the move though the SR3 was immeasurably impressive.

So are these three worthy of the road car label? Yes, is the quick answer, but only by virtue of some sympathetic chief at the testing centre, who allowed a number of owners the opportunity to put a number plate and registration card to their purchases. Calling the Caterham a road car is nothing out of the ordinary, even the Atom gets by labelling itself a road car, even though it's registered as a bike! The Atom is quite rightly the most useable here to be fair, with regards to clearing speed bumps and tackling crater holes in construction-heavy UAE in its stride. The Atom is the extreme side of road-legal though. But is the Radical a road car? That's too far off the radar to decide. I think Radical would be the first to wave their hand in agreement. Yet here we have an SR3, on the road, and three brave volunteers to drive it through the desert. Just. As far as I can see the Radical is as the name suggests, which is why Martin throws his hands in the air and requests a recovery truck to transport the SR3 back. He'd made it so far, and would like to make sure he gets back safe - in an air-conditioned truck preferably.

'...a sequential shifter, the demonic whine from the differential
and the naughty feeling that you are driving something that really
shouldn't be on the road, at all, more than makes up for it'

Bassam and I are therefore left to turnabout tail and head home, via the scenic mountain-pass route. The sun had clearly got to us all, as Bassam is now attempting to drive the Atom without a helmet, as do I (in true Bassam-says Jon does) in the Caterham, proving you can drive at least two of the cars we have tested today, without a racing helmet. At slow speeds it is fanatically comical, a sheer blast. You feel like you're about to hit warp speed and you're only edging a touch over idle. On the open road at anything above 40kph you really can't see a sausage. Eyes streaming, difficulty in breathing and the sand blasting from the deserts-best-grains is not something you can exactly be prepared for.

Staff photographer Alejandro has hopped into the passenger seat of the Caterham for the drive home, as he doesn't want to spend the whole day without at least experiencing an hour or so in one of today's lightweights. But he's soon begging to be let out. He wouldn't want the only other option available to him, the Atom, as the Ariel is even more exposed and even harder on the ears. And our support truck for the day is long gone, ala the direct route. Soon enough Bassam parks up roadside, and drapes a t-shirt over his head, which out of desperation is now buried deep in his hands. We stop briefly for a pep talk and get the show back on the road. By this time Alejandro is in pain from the sand blasting, and the sweat that is burning his eyes. My vision has been reduced a mere squint for the very same reason.

Sand, wind, heat, truck fumes make for uncomfortable journey home - and the lack of the goal, which was the Hatta Fort hotel - it has become a rather dull commute back home. But the long and rather windy winding road home gave me time to reflect on our loony lightweight adventure. I conclude that the Caterham is the most complete car of those present today, and the most sensible choice (after all it sort of looks like a car, not a lunar probe buggy or a LM racer) but I can't stop looking at the Atom that Bassam is piloting ahead of me.

I think the Ariel is appealing because you feel you might just be the one and only person alive to tame the frantic behaviour patterns and remain, well, alive. But it's a long shot. For all-in-all performance and feel and visual drama, the Radical is undoubtedly the most exhilarating. It's the slowest, in a straight line and couldn't keep up with the other two in fear of hitting a slither of paper and ripping the whole front section clean off the car, but remember that a sequential shifter, buzzing up your current gear on the digital dash, the demonic whine from the differential and the naughty feeling that you are driving something that really shouldn't be on the road, at all, more than makes up for this. One thing's for sure, the Radical would make a mockery of both the Caterham and the Ariel on the track. But as a daily car it's unquestionably flawed.

The only question that remains is, do I sell the Caterham and risk the Atom bomb experience. It's tempting, it really is, but while I throw the idea around my mind for a while longer, I continue to enjoy the girl next-door looks of the G7. Better sticking with what you know, as they say.

Thank you to Mohammed Al Owais for the loan of the Ariel Atom 300, David Moran for his Radical SR3 Tracksport and both Martin and Gary for the extra hands