The ATS 2500 GTS: Mrs. Ferrari's "Sports Car"

September 8, 2015
Story By
John Brooks

The very existence of this car is a tale of rebellion, ambition, malice, disappointment and, ultimately, unfulfilled promise. It could form the basis of an Italian Opera, and not of the soap variety, more Verdi or Puccini. It is the story of the ATS 2500 GTS Allemano Coupé, one of the rarest sports-cars ever to enter production.

In 1961 Ferrari won the Formula One World Championship in a dominant fashion, the Championship had been clinched at Monza by Phil Hill, however, his teammate, Taffy von Trips had been killed early in the race. In addition to this tragic event there were several underlying threats to the business. The advantage that the Scuderia had accrued on the race track during 1961 by being the first to really embrace the new 1.5-liter formula was about to be eroded by the British teams. The "Garagistes", as Enzo Ferrari contemptuously described them, had an understanding of modern Grand Prix racing which exceeded that of the essentially conservative Ferrari.

The arrival of the E Type Jaguar offered Ferrari-like performance at a fraction of the cost, potentially jeopardizing the important road car revenue stream. In addition there were others with their eyes on Ferrari's performance customer base, Cobra and Lamborghini were just up the road. If these concerns were not enough there was a dangerous conflict within the organization. The senior management had issued an ultimatum to Mr. Ferrari: Enzo should instruct his wife, Laura, to stay out of the business. She had been interfering in the smooth running of Ferrari but the group had misjudged their Boss; he promptly fired them all in what became known as the Great Walkout.

Since Chief Engineer Carlo Chiti, Team Manager Ramolo Tavoni and Development Engineer Giotto Bizzarrini were out, headed in the direction of a new organization, called Automobili Turismo & Sport (ATS). One of their major financial backers was Count Volpi, whose Scuderia Serenissima had been one of Ferrari's best customers, so this was serious for Maranello. The timing was not good for Ferrari, as the development of the 250 GTO was at a crucial point.

The new company entered the 1963 Formula One World Championship with the 1961 World Champion, Phil Hill and Giancarlo Baghetti, both drivers refugees from Ferrari. There were all the elements in place to do well but the whole operation was a disaster, with the team closing after a single season. Volpi and the other backers withdrew their funding in response to the poor performances.

In parallel to the competitions program, a new sports car was developed: the ATS 2500 GTS. It was a mid-engined two seater GT, designed by ex-Bertone stylist Franco Scaglione, with coachwork by Carrozzeria Allemano of Turin. The mid-engine configuration was revolutionary for a road car and the ATS was in the vanguard of this movement along with the René Bonnet Djet and the De Tomaso Vallelunga. It would be another three years before Lamborghini would stun the automotive world with the first Miura.

The ATS 2500 was powered by a 2.5L alloy V8 with two overhead camshafts. This engine later formed the basis of the Alfa Romeo sports car racing engines of the late '60s and '70s, hardly a surprise as Chiti went from ATS to Autodelta, the competition arm of Alfa Romeo. The car was composed of a chrome-molybdenum tube chassis with all independent suspension, a set up more common in racing cars than in production cars of the time. Indeed there was a brief racing record with two cars entered in the 1964 Targa Florio but both retired with ignition problems early in the race. One of these cars was entered at Le Mans but missed Scrutineering and was excluded. Later that month this car was due to race in the Reims 12 Hours but was involved in a pre-race accident while being driven back on public highways to the team's hotel - an ignominious end and wholly in keeping with the record of ATS.

Just twelve chassis were produced, yielding eight complete cars. The ATS 2500 GTS was launched at the 1963 Geneva Salon to critical acclaim but the withdrawal of financial backing doomed the project, ATS closed its doors in 1964.

This radical project deserved to succeed but was betrayed by the lack of results in the competitions program. In one way it did live on, though Ferrari would never admit it. They launched a similar concept in 1968, the Dino Ferrari, named after Enzo's late son. Mrs. Ferrari did get to have a sports car of her own, her actions acted as the catalyst for the ATS 2500 GTS and we should be grateful that some good came of the poisonous situation. The outcome was one of the most elegant cars ever to grace the highways.

The ATS 2500 GTS: Mrs. Ferrari's "Sports Car"

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