In 1963, a beautiful sports car with its engine in the middle graced the floors at the Paris Motor Show. Called the ATS 2500 GT, it was the first Italian and one of the first GT or sports car in the world to have a mid-engine layout. ATS (acronym of Automobili Turismo e Sport) was founded in 1962 by a bunch of renegade Ferrari engineers, for whom, certain circumstances had led to an uncomfortable working atmosphere at Maranello. With the financial support of a wealthy Venetian businessman, the ATS project was born with the sole aim of beating Ferrari on all fronts. Initially, the road-going 2500 GT showed great promise, with the more powerful 2500 GTS racing derivative following soon after. Unfortunately, the car was built only in limited numbers before investors withdrew financial support and the project collapsed.
The marquee has been now given a new lease of life by designer Emanuele Bomboi, who has re-interpreted the 2500 GT’s lines by combining both contemporary and classic styling cues – an appropriate throwback to the original. One thing that caught our attention are the Ferrari California derived headlamps. To be premiered at the Top Marques Monaco show on 16-19 April 2015, the all-new ATS 2500 GT features lightweight construction comprising of a carbon monocoque and ultra-light wheels with a staggered setup (18″ x 9j – front; 19″ x 10.5j – rear), allowing the whole car to tip the scales at a measly 950 Kgs. While the original ATS 2500GT was powered by a 2.5-liter V8 that produced 210 bhp, power for its modern day iteration comes from a race-derived V8 that produces 640 bhp at 10,000 rpm, endowing the super-car with a 0-62mph time of 2.9 seconds and a top speed of over 211mph.
via ats-automobili
