Alta

GB, 1931 – 1954

Alta Car and Engineering Co, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey

Geoffrey Taylor commenced building cars in his fathers stables in 1928, choosing the name as a contraction of Alberta, a place which he liked the sound of. Most ambitiously, laboriously and ingeniously, he fabricated his own engine, with aluminium block, and shaft-driven twin camshafts over a hemispherical head. An A.B.C. frame was used, and production frames were obtained from Rubery Owen. Leaf suspension was by Jonas Woodhead. 85mph could be achieved, or 110mph with a Roots-type ‘blower’ and attendant fits of temperament. The Alta cars were run in trials, sprints and races – the class record for the Brooklands Mountain circuit was broken bij Alta in 1934. Sidelines, such as Austin Seven aluminium cylinder heads, helped the finances. In 1935 the Alta 1.074cc model was augmented by versions in 1.496cc and 1.961cc, with chain-driven camshafts. For 1937 independent coil suspension was adopted, and weight considerably reduced. A supercharged Alta 2-litre could churn out 180bhp, and many competition successes were gained. Well-known exponents of this period included G. Abecassis, Beadle, R. Cowell, R.Eccles, S.C.H. Davis, G. Hartwell, H. Hunter, R. Jackson, C. Mortimer, Miss D. Stanley-Turner, J. Wakefield and E. Winterbottom.
In World War 2 the Alta firm manufactured aeroplane components and did prototype work. In 1945 a brave engine design was announced for the Alta ‘GP-‘model, using a Meehanite block casting, with light alloy crankcase and head, the whole tied together with long studs. The chassis was rubber suspended. The car’s debut was inauspiciously delayed until 1948. Although George Abecassis in particular tried very hard, there were constant minor troubles, sometimes attributable to the two-stage supercharging. The 2-litre version of this engine, however, especially when running unblown in Heath’s Formula 2 H.W.M. team, was a model of reliability.
In 1951 Alta issued their own Formula 2 car, using the G.P. chassis, which though lightened and improved for 1952, never really made a mark. In 1954 this Alta car was developed further to 2½-litres, for the new Formula 1, but the only car completed stayed in the works. The engine, however, was used in various other models, including the Connaught, which gave Tony Brooks the first all-British Grand Prix win in 1955 since Seagrave in the 1920s.
Road cars never really interested the Alta firm, although a saloon Alta 2-litre was offered briefly after the war. In entering the monoposto lists, the tiny Alta company was always fighting an uphill battle against those with greater resources, and eventually Alta concentrated more and more on specialized engineering work.

GR, 1968 – 1970

Alta Inc, Athens

This was yet another version of the German Fuldamobil 3-wheeler, with 198cc ohv single-cylinder engine and 4-speed gearbox

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; DF, MCS

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