Atalanta announces first new car in 75 years

The British sportscar company is back with a special hand-built, classically styled roadster which combines 1930s good looks with 21st century mechanical know-how.

A car that was elegant, expensive and technologically advanced in equal measure, the original Atalanta, launched in 1937, had a tubular steel chassis at a time when most cars were still being built from wood. It also had independent suspension for better handling and road holding. Then there was the matter of the optional V12 under the hood.

Its huge cost and the outbreak of the Second World War halted production in its tracks, but 75 years on, the marque is set to be reborn, and from the looks of the first official images, the company is picking up exactly where it left off.

Managing Director of Atalanta Motors, Martyn Corfield, explains: 'Staying true to the original Atalanta design principles, we have enhanced the positive and enjoyable characteristics of vintage motoring in a style that is relevant and exciting today.' He continues: 'As in the 1930's, Atalanta Motors provides the opportunity to commission an individual driving machine to exacting requirements. The new sports car readily offers an exhilarating drive with assured handling and a supremely comfortable ride.'

So the new Atlanta will be a 'restomod' in that it will keep the 1930s exterior but will be a thoroughly modern sportscar underneath and, a bespoke one at that, as each new car will be an individual commission based on client tastes and performance expectations.

The company also promises the highest levels of craftsmanship -- each body panel will be formed from aluminum using ashwood for shape and strength, just like coachbuilders of the 1920s and 1930s.

The car will be making its official debut at the Hampton Court Palace International Concours d'Elegance, which gets underway in the UK on September 5 and which promises 60 of the world's rarest and most sought-after cars as part of this year's event.