How the Brits love the past. Consider Atalanta Motors, which will show its first completed model since 1939 at the Concours of Elegance at Windsor Castle in September. Yes, a celebration is planned for Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th birthday too. Atalanta, established in the 1930s, and with only 21 models produced before the outbreak of WW2, which finally doomed the fading British empire, were among the rarest, and some claim most technically advanced British sports cars of their day. More history here: Atalanta is a character in Greek mythology, a virgin huntress.
The newest Atalanta – £149,950 – is a barely modernized traditional British roadster. It uses an old style – or out dated – aluminum over ash body construction. There’s a modern 2.5-liter aluminum (aluminium in Brit speak) four-cylinder engine with variable valve timing, producing ~185 horsepower and 200 lb. ft. of torque. As in 1937, high performance supercharged options are available. A five-speed manual is the only transmission choice.
Contemporary updates also include hydraulic disc brakes with four piston calipers, front and rear. A lightweight, non-assisted rack and pinion steering with a fully collapsible column has been substituted for the original gear. And in another stroll down memory lane, there are laced 18×4 Rudge Whitworth style wire wheels fitted with 550-18 Blockley tires. An aluminum rimmed wheel option is available to reduce unsprung weight.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
