An Oily Rag Atlantic

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The appeal of the Austin Atlantic is something of an enigma – unless, of course, you were a car buyer circa 1950, in which case its appeal was completely deniable because it was one of the motor industry’s most famous failures. The highly unconventional, American-influenced styling was too much for sober British consumers, and the wealthier American market for which it was intended was not yet asking for a small economy car.

With fadeaway fenders (too American to be called wings) and an imitation Pontiac ‘silver streak’, the Atlantic was pretty in its own way but shrinking an American-style body to fit a 96in wheelbase made for an uncomfortable clash of cultures, while the Cyclopean central headlamp was radical to say the least.

If the attraction of a new Atlantic was confusing enough, what on earth should attract anyone to a filthy, unloved specimen with a seized engine and a horrendous respray? It can only be because such a condition comes from an eventful life of motoring escapades that deserve remembrance, and because it’s high time the strange little car that sought to conquer the States was considered for its merits as a capable runaround that brought a splash of Stateside glamour to monochrome demob Britain. One man revived this charming example from its 42-year sleep; Michael Ware reveals how in his Back on the Road series in the February issue of The Automobile, on sale now.

(Words Zack Stiling, pictures Michael Ware)

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