If you missed it, where have you been? This is possibly one of the prettiest, best looking supercars of recent memory. The ATS (Automobili Turismo e Sport) GT Launch Edition. The Italian car company has recently unveiled the final production version of the highly acclaimed prototype introduced for the first time to the public last year during the event Salon Privé in England https://bit.ly/2S2yAtM . Honouring last year’s Best in Show victory of Bruce Milner’s original 1964 2500 GTS at The Quail in 2017, the supercar was unveiled during the prestigious 2018 Monterey Car Week at The Quail.
The ATS Supercar has been ‘doing the rounds’ in the U.S recently, the United States is seen as ATS’ most important market. The brand is well known among local enthusiastic car collectors, 5 of the original 12 2500 GT reside in United States.
Speaking about the brand, President Daniele Maritan told us The operation takes surgical precision: once a brand from 1962 is found, ATS, with well-defined traces of its DNA (that delivers “spirit of adventure, true passion, will for challenge, love for beautiful cars, attention to detail and innovation”) the mission is to make it relive. The task is not simple but, in hindsight, not impossible if those involved are moved by the same enthusiasm and the same entrepreneurship DNA shown fifty years ago. Today’s endeavor is born in Torino, where the history of automobile is rooted, as well as the history of Italian style applied to the four wheels. As a matter of fact Daniele Maritan’s and Emanuele Bomboi’s mission is also directed at promoting the all-Italian heritage, to revitalize an historic brand, and to reintroduce the Italian way of designing automobiles, with soft and enticing design cues that brought the “Italian school” to the top of the world.
Continuing its successful debut on the West Coast, the GT featured at the prestigious Concorso Italiano parade. After the Monterey Car Week events, the car traveled to the East Coast to attend The Bridge in the Hamptons.
The new ATS-GT is not just attractive, it has done what designers used to do, in taking time to develop well proportioned, simple yet sensuous shapes to create beautiful Italian cars. The side silhouette of this new Gran Turismo is charged with energy, with clean lines framing arched surfaces. The outlines above the wheel are evocative while a clean flowing line divides the car’s upper and lower halves. As with the original car’s design, the windows provide a focus for the flanks of the car.
Built on one of the best carbon fibre chassis and powertrains available on the market today, the entire car has been developed to be a modern reinterpretation of ATS’s original run of 12 cars, featuring a futuristic retro inspired full carbon bodywork, which has proven to be both aerodynamically efficient and staggering to look at. The GT has been developed true to its name: it is a Gran Turismo, a car designed to offer unparalleled levels of comfort wrapped in a high performance package. The engineering focused on developing a car made to excel on longer journeys, where the interior is a luxurious cocoon for the occupants. New technologies have been developed specifically and used for the first time in an automobile in order to deliver a unique experience to both driver and passengers.
Engine output can vary according to each customer wishes: with the optional ATS Corsa Package, power is increased from 730 to 830 hp or more, thanks to a specific mechanical and electronic design of the powertrain. With the enhanced performance from its 3.8 litre V8 and a state of the art carbon fibre chassis and the optional Brembo ATS GTR carbo ceramic brakes, the new GT Launch Edition will be an exciting supercar for both daily and track use.
Only 12 GT will be made in Launch Edition, the same number as the original run of 1964 and the first three are already spoken for. Each one will be different and bespoke to the desires of each customer. ATS is an automotive atelier whose aim is to create custom tailored automobiles which will be regarded as instant collectibles and exclusive pieces of automotive art. Each aspect of the car can be modified to tailor each owner’s individual taste, reflecting quintessential Italian craftsmanship and savoir fare. The GT Launch Edition is a car for those enthusiasts who regard cars as objects of pure beauty in motion, so every detail counts. Each car will be made like a fine hand made tailored suit, designed and built to be the perfect companion in every part of the day.
ATS has also announced Michelin as the official technical partner for its tyres, as company went through a meticulous development phase in the last two years alongside the creation of a worldwide dealer network, which will ensure new owners have continued after sales support.
To remark the bespoke and individual nature of every GT Launch Edition, customers will have the opportunity to have their own signature engraved in high end materials in the steering wheel, a never before seen feature in such a high level Gran Turismo.
Base price for the GT Launch Edition will be £650k (plus VAT), as a limited production run these cars are likely to be sold out by the time you read this article but hopefully they won’t all be locked away in a private collectors garage, and who knows we might just see one at the next Salon Privé.
DIMENSIONS
Length 4,700mm
Width 1,960mm
Maximum height 1,210mm
Wheelbase 2,670mm
Dry weight 1,300kg
Boot capacity 2.30m3
ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION
Bi-turbo V8 engine with dry sump lubrication
Displacement 3,799 cc.
Power A: 537 KW /730hp Torque 780 Nm
Power B: 608 KW /827hp Torque 949Nm (only with OPT ATS CORSA PACKAGE)
Rear wheel drive
7 speed automatic transmission
PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: more than 206mph
0 to 60mph: 2.9 seconds with launch control
0 to 120mph: 9.6seconds
CO2 emissions 275 g/km
FUEL CONSUMPTION
City 18 lt./100 km (15.6mpg)
Highway 9 lt./100 km (31.4mpg)
Combined 12 lt./100 km (23.5mpg)
DYNAMICS
Forward and rear double wishbone suspension
Shock absorbers with adjusting rings
Active electronic setup
ESP stability control
Brakes with carbon ceramics discs
20” front wheels; 21” rear wheels
MICHELIN official partner: Pilot Sport S4 / Pilot Sport Cup2
Front tires 255/30R20 ; rear tyres 325/30R21 or 355/25R21
Tour-Sport Race driving modes
Multi material chassis (aluminum alloy and carbon fibre) capable of outstanding strength and torsion
INFOTAINMENT
Active instrument panel
Central touchscreens that interact with the main instrument panel
Prima Orchestra Professional Sound System
Parking cameras
G-meter sensor
Tyre temperature and pressure information
