The world’s rarest Aston Martin dating back from the Second World War is going under the hammer for hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The world’s oldest concept car, the Aston Martin Atom, is set to be auctioned at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June. Finished and registered in 1940, the car was designed and built for Aston Martin boss Gordon Sutherland. Mr Sutherland said: “The whole point of the Atom was to make the smallest, lightweight, enclosed saloon possible.” Hence the name, we guess.
Built with a four cylinder 2 litre engine providing top speeds of 90 to 100mph, the Atom stunned just about everyone during the war. This included David Brown, who was so impressed after test driving the car that he bought the company.
The Atom has done around 250,000 miles and has only changed ownership once in the past 49 years. Its current owner, Tom Rollason, has maintained the Atom since 1985 and is now offering the car for sale at the Festival of Speed on June 27th.
Many of the features in the Atom, such as the 2-litre engine, were carried through to the post-war DB series, from the DB2 to the DB Mark III of 1957. James Knight, group motoring director at the auction house, said: “[The Atom is] plainly one of Aston Martin’s absolute landmark designs, and certainly one of the most exciting one-off British cars we have ever been asked to offer.”
Mr Knight added: “It is unique, it is super-sophisticated, and when one considers it within the context of 1939-40 it represents a monumental achievement.”
What are your thoughts on the Aston Martin Atom? Have a browse through the pictures and share your opinion in the comment box below.
Leave a Reply