ATS: The Ultimate Revenge Project
While Bizzarrini split his time freelancing for Lamborghini and building his own bespoke sports cars, Carlo Chiti and Romolo Tavoni had an even more aggressive plan. Backed by the immense wealth of Count Giovanni Volpi (a major former Ferrari privateer team owner), they formed ATS (Automobili Turismo e Sport) in 1962.
The objective of ATS was singular and unpretentious: defeat Ferrari on the Formula 1 grid and out-engineer them on the street.
The Innovations and the Collapse
Chiti was a massive proponent of the mid-engine layout (placing the engine behind the driver), a configuration Ferrari had been slow to adopt for road cars. In 1963, ATS broke cover at the Geneva Motor Show with the ATS 2500 GT.
A Historic Milestone: The ATS 2500 GT/GTS is widely recognized as the world’s very first mid-engined production road car, predating the Lamborghini Miura.Unfortunately, while the road car was a engineering masterpiece, the racing program was a catastrophe. The ATS Tipo 100 Formula 1 car was rushed, plagued by chassis flex, and mathematically flawed so tight was the packaging that mechanics had to cut the tubular frame apart just to swap a gearbox. Despite hiring former Ferrari World Champion Phil Hill, the team failed to score a single point in 1963. Internal bickering between the investors and Chiti fractured the company, and by 1965, the original ATS folded after building just 12 road cars.
ATS in the Modern Era: The Resurrection
For over five decades, ATS remained a fascinating footnote in automotive lore. However, the brand underwent a modern renaissance in the late 2010s under new Italian ownership, pivoting back to its roots of low-volume, technically advanced supercars.
Today, the modern iteration of the brand operates through its ATS Corsa division, manufacturing the RR Turbo a bespoke, lightweight, track-only weapon designed strictly for FIA cup racing and wealthy track-day enthusiasts.
Though the original company burned out quickly, the ripples of the 1961 Great Walkout permanently shattered Ferrari’s monopoly, creating the diverse, mid-engined supercar landscape we enjoy today.
