The last Formula 1 car produced by the ATS team was the D7, designed by technical director Gustav Brunner and designer Stefan Fober prior to the start of the 1984 championship. The Austrian engineer's new creation was a direct evolution of the previous D6, inheriting its carbon fiber monocoque chassis and most of its mechanical foundation. The aerodynamics, however, changed slightly, featuring shorter sidepods and a consequent shift of the radiating masses towards the rear, limiting the bottle-neck tapering between the wheels, which was less pronounced than on the previous car.
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| ATS D7, Manfred Winkelhock Brands Hatch, British GP 1984 |
BMW continued to use the German team as a testing ground for innovations to implement in the M12/13 L4 turbo engine powering the D7, which consistently delivered decent qualifying results. The BMW engine was paired with a five-speed Hewland gearbox slightly modified by ATS, but it proved unsuitable for the high output of the Bavarian turbo engine and suffered numerous failures throughout the season.
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| ATS D7, Manfred Winkelhock Zolder, Belgian GP 1984 |
The D7 had a wheelbase of 2735 mm and a weight of 458 kg. It was a generally good car, particularly due to its excellent chassis and powerful engine. However, its performance was hampered by the gearbox's fragility, and the Pirelli tires failed to match the performance of Michelin or Goodyear, preventing the team from scoring points. Internal issues within the team didn't help either, Brunner left after yet another clash with team boss Günter Schmidt during early-season testing in Brazil.
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| ATS D7,Gerhard Berger Österreichring, Austrian GP 1984 |
Though only one car was officially entered for the 1984 World Championship, the team fielded a second D7 in Austria and Italy for rookie Austrian driver Gerhard Berger, who managed to finish sixth at the Italian GP in Monza. Unfortunately, the point earned wasn't counted towards the drivers’ standings since the second car wasn't registered for the championship.
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| ATS D7, Gerhard Berger Monza, Italian GP 1984 |
During the 1984 season, ongoing internal conflicts between Schmidt and his staff, as well as the imminent sale of Auto Technisches Spezialzubehör, the alloy wheels manufacturer from which ATS directly stemmed, hindered the D7's development. At the end of the season, Schmidt, faced with BMW’s refusal to continue engine supply for the following year, pulled the plug on ATS’s Formula 1 program after seven unsuccessful seasons, totaling just 7 points and three fifth-place finishes as their best results.
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