ATS 2500 GT


The ATS 2500 GT is a sports car made by Italian company Automobili Turismo e Sport in Bologna. It was the first Italian and one of the first GT or sports car in the world to have a mid-engine layout. The group behind the ATS project consisted mainly of Ferrari defectors: family troubles had created an uncomfortable working atmosphere for the personnel. ATS, intent on beating Ferrari on all fronts, also produced a Formula One car for 1963, "a ghastly mess, one of the most inept racing cars ever, and its appalling performances did not help the road car." Even noted driver Phil Hill was unable to provide ATS with any results on track.
The space frame 2500 GT was introduced in 1963 at the Paris Motor Show. Designed by Franco Scaglione and engineered by Carlo Chiti and Giotto Bizzarrini, the car was built only in limited numbers before investors withdrew financial support and the project collapsed. The car's drawings were later used for Count Volpi's failed Serenissima sportcars project. A Moreno Baldi attempted another revival of the ATS concept in 1970, and failed even more disastrously.
With its and of torque it was claimed to be capable of top speed. A competition version produced but never amounted to much. The coachbuilt was by Allemano, and the 5-speed transmission by Colotti.
In 2012, there was an attempt to re-establish ATS. Digital images of a newly designed 2500 GT were shown, with a 2.5 L turbocharged flat-four engine. The car never entered production. in 2017, ATS announced another model, a spiritual successor to the original 2500 GT called the ATS GT. The new GT is based on the McLaren 12C and ATS hopes to enter production in 2019.