Do You remember this 1990s French supercar?

Forgotten ONES Back in the late 1990s, you may have played the 'Gran Turismo 2' racing game on the Sony PlayStation console. If you have, then you certainly have seen and know  the Venturi Atlantique 300 produced by French automaker company called MVS (Manufacture de Voitures de Sport) or today known as the Venturi.

The first Ventury GT Concept built in 1984 by the French engineer duo, Claude Poiraud (left) and Gérard Godfroy (right) and is powered by a Volkswagen Golf GTi engine. (Picture from: LookCharms)

As quoted of Wikipedia, the French automaker company was founded in 1984 by the French engineer duo, Claude Poiraud and Gérard Godfroy with vision to create a luxury sports car to rival Porsche, Lotus and Ferrari. 

The Venturi Coupe 200 (in pictured was 1988 model) was built from 1987 to 1988 and is powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter V-6 making 200 horsepower. (Picture from: ClassicCarWeekly)

The first car shown had a Volkswagen Golf GTi engine and the name was originally spelled "Ventury", with a "y" at the end. In 1985, the car was shown with a 200 PS (147 kW) Peugeot 505 Turbo engine, but by the 1986 Paris Motor Show it had reached its definitive form with the PRV V6 engine. Production began in 1987, with five cars built in the first year with production increasing in the subsequent years.

The Venturi Transcup 210 (in pictured was 1990 model) was built from 1990 to 1995 and is powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter V-6 making 210 horsepower. (Picture from: Wikipedia)

The company built the mid-engined Venturi coupés and roadsters (now spelled with an "i") starting in 1987 to the mid-1990s, powered by turbocharged PRV engines and Renault gearboxes. Unfortunately, those early-generation MVS Venturi Coupé and Transcup (consisting of 200, 210, and 260 APC models) did not get a good response from the world's automotive enthusiasts.

The Venturi Coupe 260 APC (in pictured was 1991 model) was built from 1990 through 1996 and is powered by a turbocharged 2.8-liter V-6 making 260 horsepower. (Picture from: ClassicCarWeekly)

Nevertheless the company continues to strive to conquer the harsh automotive world, later the company name MVS was dropped in favour of Venturi in 1990. Shortly after that the light of success begins to appear when the company was involved in the F1 racing car development of the Larrousse Formula One Team in 1991.

The Venturi 260 LM (in pictured was 1996 model) known as the final iteration of the 260 models and is powered by a turbocharged 2.8-liter V-6 making 260 horsepower. (Picture from: Wikipedia)

Then the company revised the design of its sportscars by using the  F1 racing car technology. The first supercar production was named the Venturi 260 LM which was a revised version of the Venturi 260 APC, is powered by a 2.8-liter turbocharged V6 engine with 256 hp, but with a reduced weight of 1,110 kg. It was good for a top speed of 167 mph (269 kph) and accelerated from 0-60 mph (97 kph) in 5.2 seconds.

Under its widened considerably massive aero kits made the Venturi 400 GT look like a Ferrari F40, but it remains based on the same architecture of the existing Venturis with its wheelbase lengthened by 100 mm. (Picture from: Autozine)

Although it's slowly but sure, the world's automotive began to give a good response when those French company presented its Venturi 400 GT and Atlantique 300 models which sensationally succeeded in juxtaposing themselves on a par with the Porsche 911 Carrera, Ferrari F40 and Lotus Esprit V8. 

The Venturi 400 GT is only built 15 cars and said it able to accelerate from still to 100 kph in just 4.7 seconds and able to run up to a top speed of 291 kph. (Picture from: Wikipedia)

Overall, the Venturi 400 GT is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo engine capable of spewing out 402 hp with a maximum torque of 520 Nm. By such engine power, the Venturi 400 GT able to accelerate from rest to 100 kph in just 4.7 seconds and run up to a top speed of 291 kph. Even more great, the Venturi 400 GT is the world's first supercar equipped with a carbon fiber brake system.

The Venturi Atlantique 300 (in pictured was 1996 model) was built from 1996 through 1998 and is powered by a turbocharged 2.8-liter V-6 making 260 horsepower. (Picture from: Wikipedia)

Meanwhile the Venturi Atlantique 300 was a mid-engined, fiberglass-bodied sports car built by those French automaker in between 1996 to 1998. It looked like a cross-breeding between Ferrari F355 and Lotus Esprit, known later produced into several models such the Venturi Atlantique 300, 300 Biturbo, and 300 GTR, were powered by the PRV V6 in turbo, twin-turbo, or naturally aspirated form with later cars by using the V6 ESL engine. The turbocharged version that we discussed here capable to produce power of 281 bhp and got to run up to a top speed of 280 kph (174 mph).

The Venturi Atlantique 300 kept the superb handling of the old car intact while it improved further on ride quality, refinement (especially the Biturbo, whose power delivery was smoother) and build quality. (Picture from: Autozine)

As the ultimate model of the Venturi 600 LM is no less great and has shocked the automotive world, because the MVS technicians managed to make its 3.0-liter V6 PRV engine capable of producing powerful bursts of power up to 600 hp! That's an extraordinary achievement, because only a handful of supercars (can be counted on the fingers) were able to do so at the end of the 1990s era. With a such great engine, it is not surprising that the Venturi 600 LM was a success when it was used to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race and the World Racing Championship series of GT1 group.

The Venturi 600 LM (in pictured 1996 models) was managed to give success to the French automaker while used to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race and the World Racing Championship series of GT1 group. (Picture from: OtoBlitz)

Throughout its life, the French brand has only produced 700 units of Venturi all models, now most of the population fills the garages of billionaires in the Middle East. Although the echo is not as grand as the world's leading automotive brands, it must be admitted that the Venturi is one of the best sports cars ever made in France and a commensurate opponent for the Lotus Esprit V8, Lamborgini Diablo, Ferrari F40 and F355. 

The Venturi Fétish EV known as the first true electric sports car, powered by next-generation lithium-ion batteries came out in the early 2000s even predates Tesla's original roadster. (Picture from: Venturi)

Unfortunately Venturi's journey in the world's automotive industry did not last long and had to end when the French company was declared bankrupt. And then in 2000 the company acquired by a Monaco wealthy entreprenuer named Gildo Pallanca Pastor. Then he shifted its focus to the development of electric vehicles. As its result, the two-seater sportscar named Venturi Fétish EV came out in the early 2000s even predates Tesla's original roadster.

To this day Venturi's flag continues to fly in the world's automotive through its work in the Formula E World Championship since the championship's inaugural race in 2014, and remains contesting every E-Prix to date.😉 While most of us may have forgotten the 1990s Venturi Atlantique sportscars now, but there are probably plenty of fans out there who would love to see those Alpine-styled sports cars rise from the dead. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | VENTURI | LOOKCHARMS | AUTOZINE | SILODROME | WIKIPEDIA | NLWIKI ]

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