A rare sports car is available through James List.
In 1961 when Ferrari’s chief engineer Carlo Chiti and experimental sports car development chief Giotto Bizzarrini were ousted along with a number of others in what was later termed the “Palace Revolution”, it looked like Ferraris days were numbered. Especially when Chiti and Bizzarrini, key players in developing Ferrari’s famed 250 GTO, started a rival sports car marque dubbed A.T.S. (Automobili Turismo Sport). As it turned out, Ferrari recovered from the walkout and went on to ever more empyrean heights, while A.T.S. fizzled out after a few years. In that brief interlude, however, the company produced a small number of beautiful sports cars, the A.T.S. 2500 GTS, that have become highly coveted by collectors. Of the 12 chassis constructed only 8 cars were ultimately completed; one of those, chassis no. 004, will go on the block at RM Auctions’ Automobiles of London sale on Oct. 28, marking the first time one of the rare vehicles has been offered publicly at auction. Designed by former Bertone stylist Franco Scaglione and built by the Turin coachbuilder Serafino Allemano, s/n 004 is well-known to connoisseurs for its sleek bodywork and is believed to have been the last car assembled in 1963. As to price, don’t expect it to be hammered down for anything less than £500,000. – From James List