[1] Designed as a wing-car,[2] the D1 utilised an aluminium monocoque and was powered by a Cosworth DFV V8.

[1] It was intended to be a replacement for the team's poorly performing HS1 car (a modified Penske PC4 chassis) with which it had started the 1978 Formula One season.

[2] The HS1 with which ATS had begun the season was a poor car and the team's regular drivers Jean-Pierre Jarier and Jochen Mass had struggled to even be close to competitiveness.

The D1 was first used in practice for the Dutch Grand Prix[2] and Keke Rosberg, who had stood in for Jarier earlier in the year, used it for the last two races of the season.

He placed it 15th on the grid for the United States Grand Prix but retired from the race with gearbox issues.