2013 ATS Sport 1000


The thing about racing is that its not always about massive power. In most road races, it is more about agility, acceleration, and fast-revving engines. Judging by some of the details on the ATS Sport 1000, this car certainly meets and even exceeds some of the expectations of a racecar.

You have a pretty standard racing body with its bulging front fenders, open cockpit, and huge rear wing. The ATS Sport ATS Sport 1000 boasts a tubular stainless steel chassis that weighs all of 55 kg. The body is made in three pieces that are constructed of fiberglass with Kevlar inserts. The three panels are easily removed via quick-coupling connectors.


The Sport 1000’s underbody is made of fiberglass with Kevlar inserts and is designed to develop massive down-force on the car. Add in the front spoiler and the adjustable aluminum rear spoiler and you get an impressive 1,200 kg maximum down-force – that’s simply impressive, considering the whole car weighs just 420 kg.

Inside, there’s not too much to talk about. You get a Sparco racing steering wheel, 4- or 5-point harness, Digital Instruments digital ETB-Dash, and Tillet superlight fiberglass seats. You can opt for carbon-fiber seats to replace the fiberglass ones if you so choose.


In terms of engines, ATS makes no mention of exactly what engines you can choose from. All that ATS ATS tells us is that you can choose from a line of motorcycle engines made by Honda, Suzuki Suzuki , Yamaha Yamaha , or Kawasaki. We assume that these are all at least 1,000 cc, 4-cylinder engines from sport bikes, like the CBR, Hayabusa, Ninja, GSXR, etc. With the ultra-low weight of the ATS Sport 1000, not much horsepower is needed to get it up and going, so a motorcycle engine should work just fine.

The engine hooks up to a 6-speed sequential gearbox that delivers the power to the rear wheels. You have the option of going with a traditional lever-style shifter or a paddle shifter. The trans connects to the engine via a single-plate clutch; this is again just fine with a sub-500 kg car.


The rear wheels get their power from a Quaife ATB limited-slip differential, helping keep optimal traction through the twist and when accelerating.