Austin Atlantic

Launched in 1949, the wonderful A90 Atlantic was by far the most flamboyant model in the otherwise staid Austin range. Looking like no car before or since, it ultimately proved a brave gamble that did not pay off.

The retro-futuristic styling (art deco with a rocket age twist) was penned by Ricardo ‘Dick’ Burzi, Austin’s chief stylist who had been poached from Lancia after being forced to flee Italy when he insulted Mussolini (not a good idea in the 1930s!). A riot of chrome, curves and quirkiness, the Atlantic was aimed squarely at the American market and was instantly identifiable by its Cyclops-style third headlamp.

Available as a Sports Coupe or a Convertible, it featured almost unheard of luxuries such as optional powered windows and, in convertible form, a hydraulically operated hood. A range of newfangled ‘Jewelescent’ metallic colours were also offered in shades such as ‘Seafoam Green’ and ‘Desert Gold’.

Powered by the same lusty 2.6-litre four-cylinder engine that was later used in the Austin-Healey 100 sportscar, it had a four-speed column-change gearbox and could cruise all day at 80mph with another 12mph on tap when needed. To prove its sporting credentials, a convertible A90 broke 63 stock car records at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in April 1949, pounding around the track non-stop for seven days and averaging over 70mph including halts for fuel.

Sadly for the Atlantic though, its launch was totally overshadowed by the even more sensational Jaguar XK120 and fast though it was, its four-cylinder lump did not have the appeal of a Yankee V8. Despite Austin’s best marketing efforts, just 350 were sold in America and 7,981 were made in total before production ground to a halt in 1952. With only a handful still surviving, these glamorous machines rarely come to market and all are increasingly sought after today.

This impressive, nicely patinated example was delivered to its first owners Messrs Chislett and Hardacre of Alvington near Gloucester in January 1954 - more than a year after the last car rolled off the production line. They sold it locally in 1959, the car entering the hands of its current owner, a mechanical engineer just three years later in 1962.

Now some 54 years on, its long-term owner is thinning out his collection of classics and has decided that it is time for the Atlantic to find a new home.

He treated the car to a full body-off restoration in 1981 with everything being stripped back and then thoroughly treated with anti-corrosion paint. The bumpers and numerous small parts were rechromed including the rocker cover and ‘jet-age’ airbox. During the build-up, he fitted a rebuilt Gold Seal engine, the car being refinished with a coat of cellulose paint.

The bright red leather interior was refitted and remains in lovely original condition, the door cards still displaying the ‘flying A’ embossed in them. One of the car’s quirkier features was the ‘roll-down’ rear window, a wonderfully complex piece of luxury engineering operated from a dashboard-mounted handle which still works as intended.

It sits on a set of cross-ply tyres for the full ‘50s effect and as recently as September this year was given a through service which included a new water pump, oil filter canister and brake check.

Eminently usable thanks to their decent performance and A90 running gear, these amazing Atlantics still create a stir whenever they venture out. How nice it is to find one that has been in the same ownership for so long and which remains in such original condition.