Makes › Aston Martin › Atom · Prototype · 1939–1940 One-off
Aston Martin
Atom
Running space-frame saloon prototype by Sutherland and Claude Hill; one car, still in private ownership
Photo: Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England · CC BY 2.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 1 Built
- Years
- 1939–1940
- Engine
- Four-cylinder, front-mounted · 1,970 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,970 cc
- Power
- 67.1 kW / 91.2 PSFactory: 90 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 158 km/hFactory: 98 mph · converted
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Claude Hill (engineering team), for Gordon Sutherland
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The Atom was a one-off experimental saloon that tested ideas for a post-war Aston Martin: a rigid tubular frame, independent front suspension, a semi-automatic gearbox and an aerodynamic body. Bonhams describes it as one of the earliest fully running motor-industry concept cars, and its chassis construction became the basis of the Feltham-era cars from the DB1 to the DB Mark III. The experience of driving it is said to have helped persuade David Brown to buy the company.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Aston Martin Atom (Wikimedia Commons: Aston Martin Atom)
Photo: Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England · CC BY 2.0
Aston Martin Atom (Wikimedia Commons: Aston Martin Atom)
Photo: Thomas's Pics · CC BY 2.0
Aston Martin Atom (Wikimedia Commons: Aston Martin Atom)
Photo: Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England · CC BY 2.0
Aston Martin Atom (Wikimedia Commons: Aston Martin Atom)
Photo: Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England · CC BY 2.0
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02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionone-off factory prototype, chassis G40/900 (Bonhams: "this 1939-1940 one-off prototype") | 11 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Gordon Sutherland and Claude Hill saw in 1938 that the company needed a very different kind of saloon. The Atom was built in 1939-40 by a team led by Hill and was first road-taxed on 14 July 1940, only weeks after the Dunkirk evacuation. The name was registered with the SMMT. It was used by Sutherland as his own transport and as a development car, reportedly covering over 100,000 miles during the war.
It first had the 1950 cc overhead-cam engine from the 15/98. In 1944 Claude Hill's new 1970 cc pushrod engine, patented in 1945, was installed, which was the first use of what became the DB1 engine. After the war it was exhibited in French museums, returned to Britain in the 1980s and passed to one owner for about three decades before the 2014 Bonhams sale.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Atom.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Four-cylinder, front-mounted2 Independently researched |
| Cylinders | 42 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 1,970 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,970 cc2 Independently researchedOriginal 1940 engine was the 1950 cc single-overhead-cam 15/98 unit; the 1970 cc engine replaced it in 1944. |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Valvetrain | Pushrod OHV (1944 engine); originally SOHC2 Independently researched |
| Fuel system | Twin SU carburettors (originally Zenith)2 Independently researched |
| Power | 67.1 kW / 91.2 PSFactory: 90 hp · converted3 Independently researchedStated as bhp, for the 1944 engine. |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Cotal electromagnetic four-speed semi-automatic3 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | 44 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Welded rectangular steel tube box frame (space frame)4 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Independent, short trailing arms and coil springs (Armstrong patent)4 Independently researched |
| Rear suspension | Live axle on semi-elliptic leaf springs, lever-arm dampers4 Independently researched |
| Brakes | Lockheed hydraulic, front and rear3 Independently researched |
| Steering | Direct, high-geared, 2.25 turns lock to lock4 Independently researched |
| Body construction | Aluminium panels bolted/self-tapped to the frame4 Independently researched |
| Wheelbase | 2,340 mmFactory: 92 in · converted4 Independently researched |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 158 km/hFactory: 98 mph · converted4 Independently researchedEarly test with the original 1950 cc engine on wartime petrol; Ecurie Bertelli quotes about 95 mph. |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Bonhams lists chassis G40/900, engine EN4/48/2 and registration LMF 386. The car is a welded rectangular-steel-tube box frame with aluminium bodywork, an unusual grille, independent front suspension by short trailing arms and coil springs, and a Cotal electromagnetic four-speed semi-automatic gearbox. Its steering takes only 2.25 turns lock to lock.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014, lot 357 – The ex-Gordon Sutherland experimental one-off 1939-40 Aston Martin Atom Level B
- 1 one-off factory prototype, chassis G40/900 (Bonhams: "this 1939-1940 one-off prototype")
-
2
1939 Aston Martin Atom Level B Supercars.net
- 4 cylinder 1950cc
- 4 cylinder 1970cc Claude Hill designed pushrod engine
- 1970cc Claude Hill designed pushrod engine
- pushrod engine with twin SU carburettors
- twin SU carburettors
-
3
Atom (Sutherland 1936-1940) Level B Ecurie Bertelli
- 1970 cc, 90 bhp, pushrod engine
- Cotal electromagnetic semi automatic gearbox
- Lockheed hydraulic brakes were fitted to front and rear
-
4
The ex-Gordon Sutherland 1939-40 Aston Martin Atom Factory Prototype (lot 357) Level C Bonhams, Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale 2014
- four-speed semi-automatic gearbox
- box-frame chassis welded-up from rectangular steel tubing
- independent at the front by short trailing arms and coil springs
- live rear axle was suspended upon long, supple leafsprings
- 2.25 turns lock-to-lock
- aerodynamically-sleek aluminium body paneling
- 92-inch wheelbase
- timed the Atom at 98mph
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