Automotive

The 1937 Atalanta Sports Tourer rides again - brand new inside, 75 years old on the outside

The 1937 Atalanta Sports Tourer rides again - brand new inside, 75 years old on the outside
The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
View 19 Images
The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
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The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
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The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
An excerpt from the original brochure
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An excerpt from the original brochure
An Atalanta at the famous Brooklands race circuit in the UK (note the speedbowl in background).
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An Atalanta at the famous Brooklands race circuit in the UK (note the speedbowl in background).
An original Atalanta
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An original Atalanta
An original Atalanta
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An original Atalanta
The Atalanta had a very promising start in motoring events before the war took everyone's mind elsewhere
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The Atalanta had a very promising start in motoring events before the war took everyone's mind elsewhere
The 1939 Atalanta V-12 'Foursome' Drop-head Coupe used the 4.3 litre Lincoln Zephyr engine.
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The 1939 Atalanta V-12 'Foursome' Drop-head Coupe used the 4.3 litre Lincoln Zephyr engine.
The 1939 Atalanta V-12 'Foursome' Drop-head Coupe used the 4.3 litre Lincoln Zephyr engine.
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The 1939 Atalanta V-12 'Foursome' Drop-head Coupe used the 4.3 litre Lincoln Zephyr engine.
The Atalanta V-12 two door sports saloon
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The Atalanta V-12 two door sports saloon
The Atalanta in its original guise
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The Atalanta in its original guise
The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
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The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
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The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
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The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
The guage on the dashboard shows the current settings for the adjustable suspension - still a novelty today, but a long way ahead of its time.
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The guage on the dashboard shows the current settings for the adjustable suspension - still a novelty today, but a long way ahead of its time.
From the brochure of the Atalanta
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From the brochure of the Atalanta
The suspension and brakes are modern
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The suspension and brakes are modern
The Atalanta 2012 vintage
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The Atalanta 2012 vintage
Idyllic pre-war Britain became anything but for the next decade - the Atalanta marque was one of the many victims of WW2
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Idyllic pre-war Britain became anything but for the next decade - the Atalanta marque was one of the many victims of WW2
View gallery - 19 images

On March 5, 1937, a new automotive marque was born in the form of the Atalanta Sports Tourer. The Atalanta was well received but when Britain went to war just two years later, all production capacity was turned toward the war effort and the marque ceased to be.

Last week, exactly 75 years later, the Atalanta marque was relaunched as a tradtional sportscar built to modern standards with modern electrics, brakes, suspension, chassis and a modern 185 bhp 2.5 liter VVT engine.

In reviving the Atalanta, the company has employed modern technology to enhance performance and safety, but the authentic look and feel of a 1930's English sports car has been retained. All parts used in the construction of each car are new, but they have been "sensitively packaged within traditional hand-crafted aluminium over ash coach built structure."

The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer

Atalanta's rebirth is the product of a joint venture between Staffordshire-based motoring enthusiast, Martyn Corfield and Cheshire based restorer Trevor Farrington.

At the launch of the new marque, Corfield spoke at length, and his words capture the essence of the name.

The 1939 Atalanta V-12 'Foursome' Drop-head Coupe used the 4.3 litre Lincoln Zephyr engine.
The 1939 Atalanta V-12 'Foursome' Drop-head Coupe used the 4.3 litre Lincoln Zephyr engine.

"Many great things have come from 75 years of automotive evolution, but equally many things have been lost in the pursuit of performance and safety; over powered, over rubber, homogenous styling, electronically controlled machines with poor visibility and disassociated communication and feel from the mechanical elements all contribute to a numb driving experience.

"Today most performance cars generally rely on delivering thrills and excitement from raw speed and not from engaging directly with mechanical challenge and fulfillment derived from controlling and getting the best from a machine."

The 1939 Atalanta V-12 'Foursome' Drop-head Coupe used the 4.3 litre Lincoln Zephyr engine.
The 1939 Atalanta V-12 'Foursome' Drop-head Coupe used the 4.3 litre Lincoln Zephyr engine.

"By remaining true to the original Atalanta design principles, our wish is to create a unique motoring experience; enjoying the pride, thrill and style of pre-war motoring within the confidence derived from 75 years of automotive evolution.

"Our aim at Atalanta Motors is to reproduce the positive and enjoyable characteristics of vintage motoring in a reliable and usable manner that is relevant to today's driving environment."

The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer
The 2012 Atalanta Sports Tourer

"The new Atalanta gives a stylish, exhilarating drive with easily accessible performance and a comfortable ride with engaging handling which delivers driver satisfaction even at modest speeds."

The price will be under GBP100,000 (approx. US$157,134) - but not much - and the Atalanta Web site is the beginning of the journey.

Idyllic pre-war Britain became anything but for the next decade - the Atalanta marque was one of the many victims of WW2
Idyllic pre-war Britain became anything but for the next decade - the Atalanta marque was one of the many victims of WW2

View gallery - 19 images
8 comments
8 comments
freedomsailor
Always thought the Atalanta was a poor knock-off of the 1936 Jaguar SS100. I am the proud owner of Chassis No. 36215 with 3.5L engine, restored to "as new".
Great reproductions are manufactured by Suffolk in GB with fantastic quality for less money this the Atalanta.
To each, his own!
chidrbmt
In this case they don't build them like they used to but better. What a beautiful machine.
Kim Scholer
Such an interesting car, and yet the article doesn't mention the word 'Morgan' even once....
rendrag
As far as an Atalanta being a copy of a SS100, not exactly.
readers should note that that all such designed cars were copies of Wolseley Hornets produced from 1930 to 1936, many of which were supplied as chassis's to various body makers, including the Swallow Sidecar Company (who later changed name to Jaguar due the the nazi SS ill favour).
Lord Nuffied who owned serveral makes killed off the Wolseley Hornet, and scaled down production of sports cars to it's MG brand, and forced the companies like Jaguar to start producing cars wholly.
So if you want to call the Atalanta a copy, get the facts straight, it and several other marques are copies of Wolseley Hornets.
sir_wild_card
one could just go by a Morgan
Gregg Eshelman
Is it an air cooled engine? I can see the engine instead of a radiator behind the grille in the head on image.
Or is that a hurry up and get some pics taken even though the car isn't finished type of shot?
Louis McClain
" Mommy, look what followed me home., Can I keep it? "? But the price tag is beyond my means.
Miles Archer
Since it'll never pass US safety laws (no bumpers, for one thing) all we Yanks can do is dream. And at that price, I don't think they're gonna sell all that quickly. After all, you could just buy a Morgan, as others have pointed out.
The principal, of updating classic British sports machines, was first established by Mazda, of course, with the lovely Miata (Eunos), a reincarnation of the Lotus Elan, without all the lousy British mechanical parts (sorry, but I've owned British cars...). When I drive my Mark I, I am time-transported to the mid-Sixties. And at 30+ mpg, I can actually afford to drive it.