Skip to main content

ATS’s 300 Leggera is the best looking thing you’ll ever wrap around a tree

ats 300 leggera sports car revealed

From the Bluebird DC50 to the Syrena Sport, the world is flush with upstart sports cars. But there’s always room for more, apparently.

Italy’s Automobili Turismo e Sport (ATS) just unveiled this little number, the 300 Leggera. ATS got its start in 1963 with the 2500 GT, a sports car with a mid-mounted 2.5-liter V8. Only six to 12 cars are believed to have been built.

Recommended Videos

Like the company itself, the ATS 300 Leggera is a blast from the past. It looks like a generic 1960s sports car – and that’s not a bad thing. Even if passersby have never heard of ATS, they’ll probably mistake this car for a Jaguar E-Type.

ATS seems to have gotten everything right, from the overall proportions to charmingly retro details like the tiny door mirrors and wood-trimmed steering wheel.

The styling isn’t the only throwback.

The Leggera 300 doesn’t have any electronic driver aids, which means the driving experience should be more fulfilling, as long as the driver has enough talent to avoid crashing into a tree.

ATS 300 Leggera

However, the 1.6-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine is thoroughly modern. While small Italian sports cars of the 1960s were known for having more spirit than speed, the 300 Leggera boasts a healthy 200 horsepower, pulling just 1,400 pounds. In Italian, “Leggera” means “light”, after all.

That combination should provide fairly robust performance, especially for a car with a low-cut windshield and wire wheels.

The 300 Leggera will carry a base price of around 30,000 Euros, or about $40,550 at current exchange rates. It will reportedly be available in the United States, so even we dumb Americans can get our European roadster fix.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
These new NASA EVs will drive astronauts part way to the moon (sort of)
NASA's new crew transportation electric vehicles.

Three specially designed, fully electric, environmentally friendly crew transportation vehicles for Artemis missions arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week. The zero-emission vehicles, which will carry astronauts to Launch Complex 39B for Artemis missions, were delivered by Canoo Technologies of Torrance, California. NASA/Isaac Watson

NASA has shown off a trio of new all-electric vehicles that will shuttle the next generation of lunar astronauts to the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center.

Read more
5 upcoming EVs I’m excited for, from luxury SUVs to budget champions
Lotus Eletre

Almost every major automaker has released an EV by now -- or plans to soon -- and makers like Ford and Kia already have a variety to choose from. But if you haven't found one that's right for you yet, hang tight. There are dozens of announced electric car models that have yet to come out, and it's clear that the future of EVs is bright.

From longer range to lower prices, the next batch of EVs gives us plenty to get excited about. Here are five upcoming EVs that we can't wait to drive.
Volvo EX30

Read more
Tesla shows off first Cybertruck after two years of delays
The first Cybertruck built at Tesla's Giga Texas facility.

The first Cybertruck built at Tesla's Giga Texas facility. Tesla

Tesla has shown off the first Cybertruck to roll off the production line at its new Gigafactory plant in Austin, Texas.

Read more