Venturi Atlantique

Infobox Automobile


name = Venturi Atlantique
manufacturer = Venturi Automobiles
production = 1991-2000
assembly = Couëron, Pays de la Loire, France
body_style = 2-door coupe
layout = mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
engine = 2.8L V6 turbo 3.0L V6 N/A, turbo or biturbo
transmission = 5-speed manual transmission
designer = Claude Poiraud, Gérard Godfroy

The Venturi Atlantique was a mid-engined, fiberglass-bodied French sports car produced by Venturi Automobiles from 1991 to 2000.

Atlantique 260

The original 260 was a revised version of the Venturi APC 260, carrying over the 2.8L turbocharged V6 engine with convert|260|hp|kW, but with a reduced weight of auto kg|1110. It was good for a top speed of convert|167|mph|km/h and accelerated from 0-convert|60|mph|km/h in 5.2 seconds.

Atlantique 300

Scotsman Hubert O'Neill purchased Venturi in 1994 and conceived of the Venturi 400GT as well as a revised Atlantique. After a rushed design time of six months, the new Atlantique 300 was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. Its new 3.0 24V V6 engine was lifted from other Peugeot/Citroën models and was good for convert|210|hp|kW in naturally-aspirated form or convert|281|hp|kW with a turbocharger.

Venturi again went into receivership in 1996, and was bought by Thai firm Nakarin Benz, under whom the company focused its concentration upon road cars. The biturbo version Atlantique 300 was released in 1998 and brought the power up to convert|310|hp|kW. With a top speed of convert|171|mph|km/h and a 0-convert|60|mph|km/h time of 4.9 seconds, this addition made the Atlantique a serious performance competitor to the Lotus Esprit V8.

Reception and fate

Sales of the Atlantique were extremely poor; total Venturi sales over its lifespan amounted to fewer than 700, despite praise from contemporary critics and from Top Gear. In a 1992 episode, Jeremy Clarkson noted that the two most exciting sports cars of the time were the Alpine A610 and the Venturi Atlantique, and that the Atlantique was "like having your own personal jet fighter" [...] "I love it to death"." In comparing the biturbo Atlantique and the Lotus Esprit, Performance Car noted that the Atlantique was " [...] "a more relaxing car to drive, its tidier dimensions make it easier to place, it rides more smoothly, generates far less road noise, and has a much slicker gearchange. It's better built too."

Venturi again faced bankruptcy in 2000, and the Atlantique went out of production. Although current owner Gildo Pallanca Pastor, a Monegasque millionaire, has resumed production of Venturi cars, he has shifted the emphasis to electric sports cars such as the Venturi Fétish, retiring the Atlantique badge. Company production will be even more limited at approximately fifteen units per year.

References

* [http://www.diseno-art.com/encyclopedia/vehicles/road/cars/venturi_atlantique_300.html Venturi Atlantique 300]
* [http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=103&i=3624 History of the Venturi enterprise]