Racing Legends - RGS ATALANTA
‘Price on application’ always carries a degree of fear - its a barrier to entry. Its fear that you will not be able to afford the car and the subsequent realisation that you are not as well off as you would like to think.
I stumbled across this ‘POA’ car whilst looking for an alloy bodied C-type, I would only be able to afford a replica, but this car was an original c-type powerplant with an RGS Atalanta chassis and body combination - which made it out of my league.
I hadn’t heard of RGS Atalanta before, so I did a little research and its quite a fascinating history.
Pre-war - Atalanta were a prestigious motor manufacturer, but in the 1950’s Dick Shattock (Richard G Shattock (RGS)) bought the business which then took existing sports and racecar engines and built on its own unique bodies/chassis and sophisticated independent suspension system.
Dick also pioneered the use of fibreglass for the bodywork and perhaps the combination of the lightweight and streamlined bodies, along with the unique suspension made his cars out-perform the factory versions.
This was in the heady post-war days when people with money raced their cars at the weekends and the world was in black and white.
This particular car is one of two that Dick made with C-Type engines In 1953, but it was wrapped in a very rakish all alloy body.
Its specifications is totally unique, it has :-
All aluminium alloy body.
Unique RGS designed and manufactured chassis.
Aluminium alloy rear differential.
Green Leather interior,
16” wire wheels.
De-dion style rear end with independent front & rear suspension.
The mechanical aspects of the suspension were way ahead of its time. Triple HD8 SU carburetors (Triple H8 SU were originally used). Le Mans filler cap (petrol). Original Rey-Dot mirrors.
Not on sale since the current owner purchased the car back in 1988, its sale represents a unique opportunity to Own one of the five famous racing marques that were powered by Jaguar engines: Atalanta, Cooper, HWM, Lister and Tojeiro.
The vintage race car is in restored condition, with its original alloy body (most Atalantas were fiberglass) and chassis with unique suspension and Jaguar Racing engine.
The car is currently located in Georgia in the USA and if anyone is genuinely interested, I will fly over to inspect the car and organise its repatriation. I have the owners contact details and as you would expect for something like this - its POA but I have the figure if you mail me at pete.welsh69@btinternet.com
Its a museum piece and has a price tag to match, but I would love to somehow be involved in the movement - just so I could get a look at it, maybe listen to it run.