1949 Vermillion Athena Special
1949 Vermillion Athena Super
In 1949, the aging Athena was refreshed. The grille was changed, along with the split bumper being replaced by a non-split one. The taillights were refreshed. Most importantly, with the factory growing, the Athena gained a new, more premium trim, the Super, with the original trim now named Special.
The Vermillion Straight Six, with its design being influenced by tank engines, had tank engine levels of tolerances. This allowed the new variant, used in Super, to have its capacity increased while staying within safe limits of cylinder wall thickness. The capacity has grown from 3.8 liters to 4 246 cc (259 cubic inches). It was also fitted with an additional muffler to ensure the engine was quiet inside.
This new variant had 86.2 kW (115.6 hp) of power, an 11% increase over the original. It was a much needed performance upgrade, since the Super trim, with its plushier seats, more abundant sound insulation, and an AM radio, got heavier.
There also were some minor improvements to the Special trim, which gained an extra horse among other things.
The Athena was replaced by its second generation in 1952.