ATS 2500 GTS

At Nurburgring next auction of Coys (11th August 2012).
Good luck.

http://www.coys.co.uk/auction.php?itemID=1945&auctionID=25

 

The car for sale at Coys is a bit suspicious. It is numbered 015. There is another ATS in France bearing that same serial number, but painted blue. Also, all the clearly authenticated cars seem to have single digit serial numbers beginning with 01. Finally, the provenance of the Coys car seems quite murky. I think I may know where some of those spare parts that Ed Niles photographed went after ATS closed shop.

There were a lot of parts left after ATS stopped production and I think there may be 3 or 4 "bitsa" replicas around as a result. One or both of the 015 cars may fall into this category.

There appear to have been either 7 or 8 cars built at the factory before it closed. Two of those were destroyed in a transporter accident. At least two were red. One (which I own and used to be the McCaw collection) is at a shop in northern California. Another (a 3 lire car) was sold by RM in London. The car at the Palo Verdes concours may be a third, so it woukd be interesting to know who owns it and what the serial number is. Ed Niles's old grey car (with its distinctive gold bezels around the instruments) was at Pebble a few years ago. I believe a black car was also shown at that venue in recent years. Finally, it is rumored that the Targa Florio car, now painted a celedon silver, currently lives near Denver. That would seem to fully account for the fuve or six surviving real cars.

If anyone has any additional information, it would certainly be interesting to know the whereabouts of each of the properly numbered chassis.

 

There is a picture of a ATS (maybe the Colorado car) in the Miura section. I think Joe Sackey saw it when he was checking out an original Miura.

 

Two new ones
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It must have had bumpers at some time.

 

Restoration
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Restoration or Recreation?
In Giordanengos shop?
Did you get the VIN?
Is Owned by whom?
just sayin'...

 

Years ago I was at a garage sale in the Detroit area, and in the garage was a dusty ATS, I think the color was red. Anyway we asked the owner if it was for sale, and after a minute he said yes and put a high for the day price on it. It had the ATS engine in it.
The owner explained that he had bought it after GM sold it, and that Bill Mitchell had had the car purchased and brought to GM Design. He also stated that the front bonnet on the car had been modified by GM Design, and it had a air scoop in it as I recall. (appearing like a GT-40 air extractor.) My Dad and I passed on it and I never saw it again that I know of.

 

I own the Bill Mitchell Car, I bought it in September 1977 from Royal Oak Toyota, 3616 Woodward Avenue. They had taken it on trade from an insurance executive or agent, I don't remember which. He had aquired it from GM, date unknown. The original aluminum hood had been replaced with a crude fiberglass mockup reminiscent of many Corvette styling exercises of that period. The car was in substatially original condition and had minor dings and such consistent with sitting in a garage with lawn mowers, bicycles etc. Anything else you might remember about your encounter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for sharing that bit!

 

Can you post some photos of your cars please? Thank you.

 

Wow!

 

The darker red is 1001 - lighter 2005
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Those cars are incredible and you have 2! Thanks for posting!

 

I had two, sold the steel bodied car in 1978.
Steve

 

So rare to see two side by side

 

Crappy photographs, but I cant redo them now. Winston Goodfellow took a series of glamour shots of 1001. These prints were for sale on his website until recently. But I cant find them now, he's remodeled his site.
When I had 1001 it had a corvette motor in it, Not original of course, but nifty anyway!
Steve
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Very nice - is this the car you sold?

 

It was owned by Norburt McNamara when these pictures were taken.
Steve

 

Yes, I recall that the guy to whom I sold 1001, Chuck Jones, installed a Chivvy. I think the original engine went to Jerry Rosenstock, to whom I had sold the GTS model that I bought after I had bought and sold 1001.

 

Sorry, I didn't always take photos of cars which went through my hands. This applies to ATS GTS 2008. But here's a pic taken (I think) by Ron Kellogg of an FOC meet showing the Breadvan and my GTS 2008 just behind the M-B. Them wuz the days.

 

Oops---forgot the pic.
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Ed,
You just added another name to my registry for that car.!
1001 ===============================
66 Ed Niles Los Angeles, CA
---
73 Paul Bernardo Santa Ana, CA
7? John Krimmell Evergreen, CO
76 Steve Berry Littleton, CO
78 Bill Peters Chama, NM
8? Norbert McNamara Waterford, CA
-unknown- (from McNamara estate)

2008 ===============================
66 Ed Niles Los Angeles
?? Jerry Rosenstock Hollywood, CA
74 Nickolas Begovich Fullerton, CA

Can you please supply dates when (and where) you bought the cars, and when sold?
Thanks,
Steve

 

The ATS 2500 is a magic little car. and one that I am facinated by.

Are there any more restoration photo's please.

Regards
Graeme

 

I think this car is in Colorado owned by a foriegn owner, any ideas of the VIN?
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