The original 260 was a revised version of the Venturi APC 260, carrying over the 2.8-litre turbocharged V6 engine with 260 PS (191 kW; 256 hp), but with a reduced weight of 1,110 kg (2,450 lb).

[citation needed] Venturi again went into receivership in 1996, and was bought by Thai firm Nakarin Benz, under whom the company focused its concentration upon road cars.

The Twin-turbo version of the Atlantique 300 was released in 1998 and used the later L7X V6, a Renault variant of the V6 ESL engine which brought the power up to 310 PS (228 kW; 306 hp) at 6,200 rpm and 394 N⋅m (291 lb⋅ft) of torque at 3,800 rpm, with a top speed of 275 km/h (171 mph) and a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of 4.7 seconds,[1] this addition made the Atlantique a serious performance competitor to the Lotus Esprit V8.

13 examples were built in 1999-2000; this model was the last Venturi to be considered French, before the firm became based in Monaco.

In comparing the biturbo Atlantique and the Lotus Esprit, Performance Car noted that the Atlantique was "[...] a more relaxing car to drive, its tidier dimensions make it easier to place, it rides more smoothly, generates far less road noise, and has a much slicker gearchange.