1953 RGS Atalanta

Atalanta Motors of Staines, Middlesex was founded in 1937 by several prominent automotive individuals including Alfred Gough, designer of the overhead-camshaft Frazer Nash engine, Bert Bertelli from Aston Martin, and another ex-FN employee, draughtsman Peter Crosby. Financial backing was courtesy of Peter Whitehead and Neil Watson, the former a future Le Mans winner and the latter heir to the Burma Oils fortune.

The Atalanta automobile used a tubular steel chassis with an independent coil spring suspension and wearing two-seat open sports and two-seat drophead coupe bodies built by Abbott. The four-cylinder overhead-cam engine produced 78 horsepower with a 1,496cc displacement and 98 horsepower with the larger 1,996cc size. It used three valves and two spark plugs per cylinder, similar to the design that Gough had used on some Frazer Nashes. Approximately twenty examples were built through 1939, with various wheelbase sizes of 96-, 108-, and 120-inches using 3- or 4-speed manual transmissions mated to the 1.5- or 2-liter straight 4 engine.

A longer wheelbase chassis with a 4.4-liter Lincoln Zephyr V12 engine was also available, and an Arnott supercharger could also be fitted. O

When peacetime resumed, the company was acquired by Major Richard (Dick) Gaylard Shattock, a retired member of the British Army and former tank driver. He began building his own 'special' and ultimately built approximately eleven complete cars of varying specifications and designs at his Brookside Garage. These cars, known as the RGS Atalanta, were advanced for their time, and endowed with sporting characteristics that mimicked Mr. Shattock's own enthusiasm for the sport. Dick himself campaigned his first RGS Atalanta with a great deal of success. Among his accolades was a victory at the British Empire Trophy in 1955.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2021

Sold for $285,500 at 2021 Bonhams : Amelia Island Auction.
This RGS Atalanta is equipped with a dual overhead camshaft 6-cylinder engine (a Jaguar XK120 unit) with three SU carburetors, a 3,442cc displacement size, and delivered 160 horsepower at 5,500 RPM. It has a four-speed manual transmission, independent suspension, and four-wheel drum brakes. t wears aluminum coachwork built by John Griffiths, a former Vickers Aircraft engineer and car builder.

It is believed that this RGS was ordered in 1953 and is the third RGS Atalanta built at the Brookside garage. It was first road registered by Dick Shattock for David Smallwood in 1955 as UKL 852. It had a full windscreen, top, and side screens which made it suitable as a touring car. There are some unique racing features that indicated that Smallwood may have raced the car before it was road registered, including a 16-quarter engine sump, alloy rear differential, a cylinder head with larger valves, and Alfin aluminum brake drums.

In the 1970s, the car was imported to the United States by Sam Tayloe in Tennessee. At some point prior to Mr. Tayloe's ownership, much of the car's road equipment was removed and it was converted to a sports racing car, complete with a single Brooklands windscreen and painted white with a green stripe. While its racing history remains a mystery, Mr. Tayloe did receive a number of trophies and ribbons from the car's previous owner. Those items were later lost in a house fire. It is believed that Mr. Tayloe used the car in a few vintage race events.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2021