Atalanta Motors

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An Atalanta at the Gaisbergrennen 2013

The Atalanta Motors Ltd. is a former British manufacturer in Staines (Middlesex) who built sporty automobiles between 1937 and 1939. The name goes back to Atalante , a figure in Greek mythology : Atalanta was an Arcadian huntress and is said to have been the fastest female runner in Greece. Its name is derived from the Greek atalantos , which means "in balance". A reference to Atalanta light car , the 1916-1917 cycle cars produced is not known.

Company history

Atalanta V-12 short chassis 2-seater Drop-Head Coupe by Abbotts of Farnham (1939)

The driving force behind the company was Alfred Gough , previously chief engineer at Frazer-Nash . For this brand he had developed a high-performance four-cylinder engine. After a change in strategy, Frazer-Nash decided not to use this design and instead opted for the license production of BMW sports cars. Gough left the company in 1934. With the support of Peter Crosby and Eric Scott , who both worked for the piston manufacturer Specialloid Pistons , he founded Atalanta Motors Ltd. in December 1936. He probably came up with the name Atalanta because a Frazer-Nash racing car was named that way. The company was funded with £ 20,000 backed by a number of personalities; including the wealthy racing drivers Peter Whitehead and Tim Scott as well as the racing team owner Midge Wilby , who also competed in competitions.

For the Atalanta, two versions of Gough's four-cylinder engine were available when it was released. The high-performance engine delivered 78 bhp (57 kW) as 1½-liter and 98 bhp (72 kW) as 2-liter ; for the latter, it was possible to increase the output by means of a centrifugal compressor . The chassis was also a development by Gough and was available with two and later three different wheelbases .

The catalog included a number of very sporty bodies, all of which were handcrafted in small batches at the respected bodybuilder Abbott of Farnham . This also gave the customer a lot of freedom in terms of detail.

Until a workshop on London Road in Staines was completed, vehicles were assembled in a shed behind the village pub Dexter's Cafe on the High Street . Although the Atalanta was not officially presented until 1937, the first vehicles seem to have been assembled as early as 1936.

The ambitious project suffered mainly from an insufficiently reliable engine and a very high sales price.

In 1938 the four-cylinder V-12 was added to the side, the V12 engine of which had been developed for the US Lincoln Zephyr and was bought by the Ford Group .

Racing

Atalanta 2-liter short chassis 2-seat Fixed Head Coupe by Abbott (1939)

Midge Wilby took over three Atalanta for her racing team, which can be considered a semi-official factory team. Contemporary illustrations show that their vehicle was a V-12 Sports. There was also a 1½-liter (probably a coupé) and a 2-liter Sports with chassis number 1011. The team color was dark blue. A second driver, Joan Brotchie , and Gordon Wilkins usually drove these cars. Atalanta mainly took part in national competitions such as the Rally Scotland , the RAC rally or the Welsh rally . The first competition with the participation of an Atalanta was the Lewes Speed ​​Trials with the private driver GAT Weldon . The Autocar magazine called this appearance “impressive” in a report on June 18.

The Charles Morrison / Neil Watson team took part in the 1938 Le Mans 24-hour race with Wilby's 1½-liter Atalanta . However, the car with starting number 35 suffered an accident in a pre-race test. In the actual race, after a good start, the car already retired on the fourth lap because the makeshift repairs did not hold up.

Joan Brotchie won the 1939 Rally of Scotland in the closed vehicle class (probably with the 1½ liter). Atalanta won the team championship at the Welsh Rally that same year; Midge Wilby also took a class win.

The outbreak of World War II prevented a longer racing career for the Atalanta. The vehicle had a lot of potential with its excellent chassis; The weak point was the lack of reliability of the engine.

technology

The Gough engine

The four-cylinder engine originally used was a further developed version of the engine that Gough had designed for Frazer-Nash. Gough had designed it as an in- line engine with a chain-driven , overhead camshaft , three valves per cylinder (two intake and one exhaust valve as in the Bugatti ), two spark plugs per cylinder and double ignition ( magneto ignition and ignition coil ). A switchable centrifugal compressor was available on request . The engine was later redesigned by the former owner and chief engineer of Aston Martin , AC Bertelli . This version also had a double ignition, but only one inlet and one outlet valve per cylinder. At the same time, the smaller engine may have been enlarged to 1650 cc; several sources name such an engine. At least the version with 1496 cm³ had an Arnott carburetor.

The Zephyr V12

Atalanta V-12 short chassis 2-seat Drop Head Coupe by Abbott (1939)

The V12 of the Lincoln Zephyr, introduced in 1936, was a conventional design, developed with the aim of using as many parts as possible from the Ford V8 in order to keep manufacturing costs down. The rather unsporting and smooth running 4.4 liter unit was side-controlled and had a simple gear drive between the crankshaft and camshaft. Unlike the Ford with a fork angle of 90 °, the Zephyr V12 had a fork angle of 75 °. It developed 112 bhp (82 kW), which in spite of the higher weight of the gray cast iron engine should have ensured very pleasing performance. After all, the British trade magazine The Motor measured a production Lincoln Zephyr with a top speed of 145 km / h, accelerating from zero to 96 km / h (60 mph) in 14 seconds, which is remarkable for the era. Unfortunately, the Zephyr V12 didn't have the best reputation for fuel economy and durability; in particular, he was prone to overheating.

Of course, the heavy engine demanded concessions in terms of driving characteristics, but on the other hand it offered the prestige of a twelve-cylinder engine at only a slightly higher price than a comparable Atalanta 2-liter.

Motor data

model cylinder Valves Bore × stroke B displacement B seal B performance B at speed
1½ liter 4 row 12 69 × 100 mm 1496 cc 8: 1 78 bhp (57 kW)
1½ liter 4 row 8th 1650 cc
2 liter 4 row 12 75 × 113 mm 1996 cc 98 bhp (72 kW)
2 liter s / c 4 row 12 75 × 113 mm 1996 cc
V-12 12 V 24 69.85 x 95.25 mm 4379 cm³ 112 bhp (82 kW) 3900 min −1

Power transmission

The power was transmitted via a cardan shaft to the spiral-toothed differential (ratio 3.6: 1) on the rear axle. The customer had the choice between a Warner three-speed manual transmission with overdrive for 2nd and 3rd gear or a Cotal preselector based on the French "Grandes Routières" style.

chassis

The chassis was also its own and very modern design. To reduce weight, Gough also resorted to unusual materials such as hiduminium , electron , duralumin and magnesium . The chassis consisted of longitudinal beams with cross members and cross struts with a round profile. There was independent suspension with coil springs both front and rear ; the front ones were mounted vertically. An unusual strut behind the radiator connected their upper mounts and contributed to the rigidity of the frame. The rear springs were arranged horizontally in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The shock absorbers were custom-made by Armstrong , the strength of the damping was adjustable. Atalanta used wire-spoke wheels measuring 18 inches.

Atalanta were available with three different wheelbases: 2438 mm ( Short Chassis ), 2743 mm ( Long Chassis ) and later also with 3048 mm for multi-seat versions of the V-12. Lockheed's brakes were hydraulically operated; the electron drums developed in-house were 16 inches (33 cm) in diameter.

The tank held 90.9 liters.

Bodies

Atalanta V-12 long chassis 2-door Sports Saloon by Abbott (factory picture, 1939)

All factory bodies were built at Abbott of Farnham ; were listed:

  • Open two seat sports car (two-seat roadster with cut out doors and front fenders in "motorcycle" style)
  • Two seat sports tourer (two-seat roadster with cut out doors)
  • Two door fixed head coupe (two-seat coupe )
  • Luxury two door saloon (four-seater, two-door saloon )
  • Two door drop head coupe (four-seater, two-door convertible )

A single, unfortunately not preserved coupé was made by E. Bertelli Ltd. in Feltham (now the London Borough of Hounslow ). Enrico Bertelli was the brother of AC Bertelli and supplier of the Aston Martin factory bodies.

The detailed execution was agreed with the customer.

Pricing and Production

Brochure picture of the Atalanta V-12 long chassis 4-seat Saloon by Bertelli (1939)

Despite the variety offered, only about 20 vehicles of all variants were built between 1937 and 1939, only seven of which are said to have been V-12s. The lack of success was due to the difficult economic environment, but also to the very high prices that were charged for an Atalanta; a comparable competitor model from a volume manufacturer cost around half.

The V12 was about as expensive as the four-cylinder versions. The 2 liter Drophead Coupé was the most expensive model on offer.

End of production

In 1939 production was stopped due to the war. However, the company was not dissolved. In the next few years it traded initially under the name Atalanta Pumps and, after moving to Chertsey (Surrey) , under Atalanta Engineering Ltd. The company was active until at least 1993, but never built automobiles again.

Models

model Construction period B cylinder B displacement B performance B at speed B wheel base
1½ liter 1937-1939 4 row 1496 cc 78 bhp (57 kW) 2438-2743 mm
2 liter 1937-1939 4 row 1996 cc 98 bhp (72 kW) 2438-2743 mm
V-12 1938-1939 12 V 4379 cm³ 112 bhp (82 kW) 3900 min −1 2743-3048 mm

RGS Atalanta

After the Second World War it was no longer possible to resume production. From 1950, Richard G. Shattock ("RGS") built a few racing cars on Atalanta chassis with open fiberglass bodies and engines from Jaguar or Aston Martin under the name RGS Atalanta . In 1953 he took over the entire remaining inventory because he was still convinced of the chassis concept. The vehicles were still sold as kits or ready-made for a while.

In addition to RGS Atalanta , the British racing teams Cooper , HWM , Lister and Tojeiro followed a similar concept and mostly relied on Jaguar engines.

Atalanta today

Atalanta at the Gaisbergrennen 2013

About ten pre-war Atalanta are said to still exist. At least one of the works team vehicles, a two-liter roadster on the short chassis, has been preserved. This also has conventional fenders at the front. The described RGS Atalanta by Richard Shattock was for sale.

Revival?

The trademark rights are now with Martyn Corfield . After he had acquired the only existing Wisby team car, a 2 liter roadster, in 2009, other Atalanta came into his possession. He is planning to run a modern interpretation of the Atalanta and has founded a new Atalanta Motors in Tipton Staffordshire , and acts as its CEO . An interview date in spring 2012 could obviously not be kept.

literature

  • Culshaw, David and Horrobin, Peter: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975 . Veloce Publishing plc. Dorchester (1999). ISBN 1-874105-93-6 (English)
  • Culshaw, David and Horrobin, Peter: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975 , Veloce Publishing PLC, Dorchester (1997). ISBN 1-874105-93-6 (English)

Web links

Commons : Atalanta  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ atalantamotors.com: Atalanta Myth
  2. ↑ atalantamotors.com: Heritage
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h conceptcarz.com: Atalanta 2-Liter Short-Chassis Drop Head Coupé (1938)
  4. ↑ atalantamotors.com: Atalanta Cars of the 30's; 4-cylinder sports
  5. ↑ a b c atalantamotors.com: Competition Heritage
  6. ↑ a b c d supercars.net: Atalanta 2-Liter Short-Chassis Drop Head Coupé (1938)
  7. ↑ Culshaw / Horrobin: Complete Catalog (1999)
  8. ↑ a b c d motorbase.com: Atalanta
  9. ↑ Culshaw / Horrobin: Complete Catalog (1997)
  10. ↑ motorbase.com: Atalanta four-cylinder
  11. ↑ carfolio.com: data Atalanta 1½-liter FHC (1936)
  12. ^ Bill Vance: Motoring Memories - Lincoln Zephyr
  13. ↑ a b atalantamotors.com: Atalanta Cars of the 30's
  14. ↑ carfolio.com: Atalanta
  15. ↑ Homepage of Atalanta Motors
  16. ↑ prewarcar.com magazine: The Revival of Atalanta Motors
  17. ↑ sportscardigest.com: Atalanta Motors to be Revived after 75 Years