The disgruntled ex-Ferrari employees consisted of the former sales manager, former sports car development chief, former chief engineer, and the former manager of Scuderia Ferrari, and included names like Giotto Bizzarrini. Like many others, they challenged Ferrari by trying to beat him at his own game, forming Automobili Turismo e Sport, or ATS.
ATS’s first sports car was the 2500 – the first Italian mid-engine rear-wheel drive sports car, preceding the legendary Lamborghini Miura.
The ATS 2500 debuted at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show as a fresh and beautiful design by Franco Scagleoni and Carrozzeria Allemano, with smooth-flowing lines and good proportions. It was a timeless beauty with, advanced features for the era, like four-wheel disc brakes, four-wheel independent suspension, a five-speed manual transmission, and a bespoke DOHC 2.5-liter flat-plane crank V8 making 217 horsepower and 188 lb-ft of torque in standard form, accompanied by a screaming 9,000-rpm redline. It was capable of a five-second 0-60 sprint and a top speed of 160 mph.