Italian ATS marque exhumed, new sports car planned

We won't hold it against you if you've never hear of the Automobili Turismo e Sport, or ATS. After all, the small Italian automaker made just 12 cars in the 1960s, but it looks like dust is being brushed off this marque after sitting dormant for almost 50 years. Like Lamborghini, ATS was formed following a disagreement with Enzo Ferrari.

Two sports cars are planned to carry the ATS nameplate: a lightweight track car powered by a motorcycle engine called the Sport 1000 and the car pictured above, the 2500GT. Named after ATS's original car, the 2500 GT, built from 1962 through 1964, the new 2500GT mimics the styling of the of its predecessor while simultaneously looking like the result of an awesome one-night-stand between a Ford GT and a Lotus Evora. According to AllCarIndex.com, the interior of the 2500GT will have a retro look inspired by the 1960s, but no interior images of the car have been released.

While the original ATS 2500GT was powered by a 2.5-liter V8 that produced 210 horsepower, the new version of the car uses a rear-mounted 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-four that is said to put out 500 hp. If this engine sounds familiar, that's because AllCarIndex says that it is based on a Subaru boxer engine. We'd love to see a WRX STI with this much power, but we digress.

The most impressive detail about this new 2500GT is that it weighs just 2,160 pounds helping to give the car excellent performance. ATS says the car's top speed is with the ability to accelerate from zero to 62 miles per hour in just 3.3 seconds.

There is no indication as to the pricing of the ATS 2500GT reincarnation, when it goes on sale or if it will be sold in the US, but until then, enjoy the images ATS AutoSport has released.