Atalanta Motors is a British car company created in 2011 by Martyn Corfield to relaunch the dormant 1930s Atalanta which stopped production due to the war after a production run of only 21 cars. Atalanta Motors is a Classic Modern Cars manufacturer for the Atalanta brand sports cars.

Atalanta Motors Today

Currently based in Staffordshire and not far away from where the original Atalanta prototype was produced (Bean Industries in Tipton); significant effort has already gone in to producing a new traditionally coach-built Atalanta prototype that retains the charm and good looks of an original, but also satisfies the demands of more modern motoring.

Using the original Atalanta works Le Mans entry from 1938 as reference has allowed a new prototype to be developed employing the latest CAD technology. This new car not only remains true to the function and style of the original Atalanta design, but also takes advantage of modern materials and technology to aid what was already a very advanced pre – war design to comply with modern vehicle standards.

This pre-production prototype is scheduled to be unveiled Spring 2012, 75 years after the first Atalanta car was announced.

Atalanta Motors were the only pre-war British car manufacturer that instigated and brought together innovative design features that included fully independent coil spring suspension; adjustable damping front and rear; full hydraulic brakes; electric operated pre-selector gearbox (an early semi-automatic!); three valve twin spark cylinder head, and made use of lightweight materials such as electron, duralumin and hiduminium for many of its castings.  Initially the Atalanta was offered with Alfred Gough’s aluminium 1½-litre 78 bhp and 2-litre 98 bhp four cylinder engines initially developed for Fraser Nash cars. A supercharged option was also available and later in 1938 a more reliable 4·3 litre V-12 Lincoln Zephyr engine producing 112 bhp was introduced.

Atalanta cars were available in a variety of configurations including an open two seat sports car, two door saloon and a drop head coupe; these advanced and expensive sporting cars were regularly tested by both their owners and the works in various competitive events with some success in the late 1930’s.  All Atalanta models benefited from a lightweight construction that contributed to delivering excellent performance and coupled with revolutionary road holding (that was reviewed in a 1939 road test as “beyond criticism; rough, almost colonial sections can be treated like main roads. The Atalanta has the tenacious quality of a racing car when cornering, and it is nearly impossible to cause the tyres to squeal”) the cars gave great traction and high levels of grip.

Atalanta’s original design philosophy of producing a performance sports car with lightweight construction and reduced un-sprung weight coupled with a light but powerful four cylinder engine is still embraced today.

Martyn Corfield – CEO Atalanta Motors

No stranger to challenging projects, it was Corfield who was the instigator in recreating the 1954 Austin Healey endurance record attempt. Not content with simply overseeing a car restoration with a forensic level of attention to detail, Corfield led the project to deliver 17 International and National speed distance records including the current ‘fastest 100 miles’ UK record for any type of car, irrespective of age or class. This was all achieved under self-imposed disciplines that the record attempt must only use technology that was available in the 1950’s.

It is this same energy, focus and attention to detail coupled with his entrepreneurial ambition and drawing upon his wider project management and manufacturing expertise that Corfield brings to the revived Atalanta Motors.

Since first acquiring the Works Le Mans car in 2009, Corfield has become near obsessive about the marque, acquiring considerable knowledge and several cars along the way has led to him to become even more passionate about successfully reviving the brand.

Martyn commented:

“Atalanta is one of the greatest untold British Motoring heritage stories. The cars and the team that delivered the original concept were so ahead of their time. What might have been had the war not interrupted development?”

“As custodian of the Atalanta marque it is my objective to sensitively bring the original Atalanta design up to date, delivering modern motoring needs of safety, reliability and performance but still remaining true in spirit to the Atalanta sports car ideals and deliver the quality of product that this marque deserves”