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ATS rises from the ashes with its gorgeous GT supercar

Here's a name we haven't heard from in a while: Automobili Turismo e Sport is throwing its name back as an entrant in the war of the supercars with its new GT, a coupe that serves as a successor to a never-produced gran turismo car from the 1960s. True to its rarified segment, just 12 models will be produced starting at about $1.33 million, each highly customized to the purchaser's tastes. The coupe is a successor to the 2500 GT, which was revealed at the 1963 Paris Motor Show but never went into production before the entire company shut down in 1964. ATS was launched by Carlo Chiti and Giotto Bizzarrini after leaving Ferrari in 1961 due to a dispute with Enzo Ferrari. The initial aim was to beat Ferrari, and the company managed to produce a Formula One racer and the mid-engine 2500 GT. Despite teasing several models in recent years, the GT will be the company's first new production supercar in nearly half a century. Today's version of the company is being run by ATS's design chief, Emanuele Bomboi, and Daniele Maritan, a former race car driver turned importer and distributor of fast sports cars. The company insists this rebirth "is not a 'nostalgia' operation" and says it has other ideas it plans to develop beyond the GT. Bombi formerly worked for Fiat and Bertone, and it shows in the GT's styling. "The side silhouette of this new Gran Turismo is charged with energy, with clean lines framing arched surfaces," the company says. "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." The new car also borrows its predecessor's front spoiler, which runs the whole width of the car with the same blue Dragon of Bologna logo, with two stripes running along the bonnet. It gets a carbon fiber body and chassis for a curb weight of 2,866 pounds. Powering the GT is a 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V8 mounted behind the cabin that does 650 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. Or, buyers can upgrade to a 700-horsepower version with 553 lb-ft of torque. Either is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that drives the rear wheels. Zero to 60 time is around 3 seconds, and top speed is around 206 mph. Three driving modes are offered — Viaggio, Sport and Corsa — with each configuration changing the colors of the cockpit controls from blue, to yellow and red, respectively. Does that sound a lot like the McLaren 650S to you?

Early Ferrari F40 prototype destroyed in roadside fire

The people behind Tax the Rich have made a name for themselves by doing the sort of things with six and seven-figure supercars that Ken Block does with rally-prepped Subarus and Fords. The group's last video, released just over a year ago, features a rare prototype Ferrari F40. According to Ferrari Chat and IVG.it, another car from that collection is no more, having been reduced to a thin, black crisp. It's a terrible thing to see cars end up in such a state, especially one with such a storied history. It's unclear how the fire started, but old Italian supercars don't exactly have the best reputation for reliability. Hell, even some new Ferraris have had issues with catching fire. This particular F40 is believed to be the sixth prototype ever built by Maranello, going on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1987. According to Motor 1, the car was converted to GT spec in 1991 and raced continually over its life. While some rare supercars have been brought back from the brink and fully restored, it's hard to imagine there is any way to salvage what's left. A Facebook video from Patrich Poggi shows a broken, sullen husk, parked on the side of the road and covered in fire retardant. If you didn't already know, it would be difficult to tell what sort of car you'd be looking at. At least this F40 spent its life on the road and on the track rather than sitting in the back of a garage in someone's collection. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: IVG.it via Motor 1, Ferrari ChatImage Credit: Patrich Poggi Ferrari Coupe Supercars

Ferrari wants more hybrids to lift volume to 10,000 cars a year

Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne is looking towards hybridization as the way of bumping the Italian automaker's production figures to 10,000 vehicles per year by 2025, reports Automotive News. To do this, Marchionne plans to hybridize every vehicle with a Ferrari badge starting in 2019. As Automotive News points out, Ferrari is dedicated to delivering roughly 8,000 vehicles this year. The automaker has plans in place to raise that figure to 9,000 cars by 2019. Raising its volume numbers to 10,000 vehicles a year, though, would require Ferrari to meet certain fuel economy and emissions requirements, which it currently does not have to do, reports Automotive News. According to Automotive News, in addition to producing more hybrids, Marchionne is also interested in producing Ferraris that appeal to a larger demographic, helping to increase sales. As Automotive News points out, the recent biturbo V8 GTC4Lusso T is an example of this trend, being both more useable and less expensive than its V12 counterpart. Performance will still be a priority. The CEO believes hybrid powertrains are a way to "yield additional performance," reports Automotive News. This isn't the first time Marchionne has spoken about increasing Ferrari's production as the CEO hinted at upping the automaker's output to 10,000 vehicles annually back in 2014. At that time, Marchionne also revealed that Ferrari would come out with a new car every year between 2014 and 2018. More recently, Ferrari announced plans to increase production to approximately 9,000 cars per year by 2019. Related Video: