Alta (vehicles)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Greek company, for the British racing car and engine manufacturer see Alta Car and Engineering Company.

ALTA (ΆΛΤΑ)



Fate	Defunct


Founded	1962
Defunct	1978
Location	Athens, Greece
Industry	Vehicles
Products	motorcycles, cars, three-wheeler trucks

Alta (not to be confused with a British company with the same name) was a Greek manufacturer of light and heavier three-wheeler trucks, motorcycles and passenger cars. Production of motorcycles and three-wheeler trucks with Sachs 50cc engines started in its first factory in Athens in 1962. The '50S' motorcycle model was known for its reliability (some survive to date in good working condition). In 1967 it designed and developed model 'A700', a heavier three-wheeler truck with 2-cylinder BMW 35hp engine and a payload of 800 Kg. The truck, featuring a pleasant design and high reliability became one of the most successful vehicles of its kind in Greece. In 1968 Alta introduced a three-wheeler passenger car, model 'A200' (three wheelers were classified differently according to Greek law). Powered by a Heinkel 200cc engine, the car was based on the German Fuldamobil (also produced by Attica in Greece under licence), but with Alta's own body design. The company moved production to a new, larger facory in Elefsis where it operated until 1978.

[edit] References

L.S. Skartsis and G.A. Avramidis, "Made in Greece", Typorama, Patras, Greece (2003).
G.N. Georgano (Ed.), "The New Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to Present", E.P. Dutton, New York (1982).
M. Sedgwick, "Cars of the Fifties and Sixties", Crescent Books (1990).
Automobil Revue/Revue Automobile (1971 ed.)