All-New ATS GT Supercar Review

Do you have a spare £1m stashed down the back of the sofa, or in a tin under the bed? Have you been contemplating spending it on a supercar, like this one?

The ATS GT – 12 Handbuilt Supercars

Do you happen to have a spare £1m stashed down the back of the sofa, or in a little tin under the bed? Have you been contemplating spending it on a supercar? Well, we’re here to bring you news about an old name from Italy producing a brand-new slice of exotica. We could pretend we’ve driven it too, but it’s not finished yet and even when it is, there’s only going to be 12 ever made, so here’s a run-down of what we know and what we’re excited about.

ATS front view door up

Exterior/Interior

It’s a supercar, so it’s shaped like a weapon. Low and sleek, it has elements of romance and violence but it doesn’t look unapproachable. ATS is an older name in the supercar world, producing 12 GTs between 1963 and 1965, but there’s no classic styling on show here, it looks every bit a modern supercar.

ATS rear view on grass

Inside there’s a driver-focused cockpit and beautiful Alcantara-clad steering wheel and dashboard. It looks stunning – certainly a piece that’ll impress for many, many decades to follow.

ATS Dashboard grey interior

ATS Automobili – On the road

As we’re never going to get to drive this rare supercar, we can’t say for sure how it’ll behave, but the layout and choice of engines does give us some clues. The engine is a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 unit that is said to produce between 700-800PS. You’re probably thinking what we are – and yes, that’s a remarkable figure for any vehicle. The engine is mounted in the middle of the car behind the cabin and in front of the rear-wheels, so clever engineers and physicists would tell us that all the weight is in the right place. Basically, you’re going to need to be alert to drive this thing.

ATS Automobili says it is going to hand-make the chassis, which is going to involve lots of carbon-fibre, so weight shouldn’t be much of a problem for the GT, despite the presence of that V8. Rumours say it’ll come in at around 1,300kg.

ATS front view on grass

Practicality

Err… about that. It’s a supercar, so it doesn’t really have any sense of practicality. It doesn’t even understand that word. If you said ‘practicality’ to it, it would tilt its head sideways a bit like a confused puppy. Best skip this section, just think over 700bhp, that’s surely practical.

ATS rear exhaust

Equipment

A stupidly powerful 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine producing between 700-800PS, a steering wheel, and a place for you and a passenger to sit. There’s probably more stuff like air conditioning and electric windows, but that simply isn’t what these cars are about. This is designed to thrill you, move you, scare you a bit, and make you feel a million bucks. Or £1m in this case.

ATS interior seats

The verdict, from Carsnip’s Editorial Chief, Tim Barnes-Clay:

We could compare this with cars like the Ferrari 488 GTB or the McLaren 720S, but these cars don’t have set production figures and don’t cost anywhere near as much as the ATS. If you’re looking at buying a motor like this, you’re buying a piece of history – a piece of artwork. You’re also purchasing a machine capable of savage speeds nobody should ever go anywhere near on the road. Are cars like this really for driving, though? Or are they to collect, admire, and inspire?

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