Founded 1957 | ||
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The Atla was a French automobile manufactured from 1957 to 1959 in the commune of Garches in the western suburbs of Paris. Support for the project came from Jean Schwab who was the local Renault dealer and who sold the cars. Important input also came from an engineer called Charles Cusson who was responsible for the tubular chassis. The car was otherwise the project of Jacques Durand (later of Sera, Sovam, Jidé and Scora)
The small car used two versions of the Renault Billancourt engine. The Atla Type 750 used the 747 cc (46 cu in) version from the Renault 4CV that produced 21 hp (16 kW). The Atla Type 850 used the 845 cc version as found in the Renault Dauphine that developed 30 hp (22 kW). The Atla featured a fiberglass body with "gull-wing" doors.
The car was initially priced competitively and about 20 were sold before the manufacturers revisited their costings and found themselves obliged to increase the price very considerably, at which point customer demand disappeared.