CARS OF THE WORLD

De Tomaso P72 2021.

Masterpiece supercar De Tomaso P72: Hong Kong pays, Italy and America do.
The Italian brand De Tomaso, acquired in 2014 by the Hong Kong company Ideal Team Ventures, unveiled its first novelty in many years, the De Tomaso P72 supercar last summer.

Today the supplier of engines for this car has been revealed — it turned out to be the American tuning studio Roush Performance.

The De Tomaso brand, founded by the Italian of Argentine origin Alejandro de Tomaso, has a not very happy fate, but managed to become famous for several bright sports cars, the most famous of which is the Pantera coupe — a real star of the 70s and 80s.

Now the brand belongs to Ideal Team Ventures, which dreams of gaining a foothold in the ultra-luxury segment, that is, aiming at the wealthiest and most sophisticated audience.

The Hong Kongers also own the Apollo brand, the legacy of the collapsed company of German engineer Roland Gumpert, the same one who designed the Gumpert Apollo supercar on Audi units in the early 2000s, and is now found in the Chinese electric car startup Aiways.

So, two years ago, Apollo presented the track hypercar Intensa Emozione with a Ferrari V12 engine for an astronomical 2.3 million euros, and now the chassis of this exclusive car has found application in the more «budget» coupe De Tomaso P72 — it is planned to sell it for about 750 thousand euros.

De Tomaso P72 premiered in early summer at the UK Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The stunning exterior of the car is based on the De Tomaso P70 spider, which de Tomaso developed together with the legendary American Carroll Shelby, but the filling is completely modern.

At the heart of the P72 is a carbon fiber monocoque from Apollo Intensa Emozione, baked by the Italian company Manifattura Automobili Torino.

The supporting elements of the chassis are also made of carbon fiber, which significantly increases the cost of the structure. They are bolted to the monocoque and can be replaced in the event of a minor accident.

The outer body panels are also carbon fiber. Suspension — push-rod type «in a circle». The brakes are, of course, carbon-ceramic.

The interior is crafted with manic meticulousness, crammed with sculptural and jewelery details like the finest Pagani and Spyker models.

Confused by the right hand drive? This is probably because De Tomaso Automobili is formally registered in London. Left-hand drive modifications, presumably, will also be, as the United States is called one of the key sales markets.

Today, finally, information about the De Tomaso P72 engine appeared: it will be made by the Roush Performance studio, founded by the American engineer Jack Rusch, who excelled in NASCAR races and participated in the development of engines for the last two generations of the Ford GT.

For the De Tomaso P72, the American company has prepared a very conservative unit based on Ford’s 5.0-liter V8 with a 90-degree camber angle.

It has a dry sump lubrication system and is equipped with the original Roush screw mechanical supercharger, thanks to which it produces a maximum of 710 hp. and 825 Nm.

Maximum revs — 7500. Transmission — only 6-speed manual gearbox, it was allegedly developed by De Tomaso itself. No dynamic performance declared.

Where the final assembly of De Tomaso P72 will take place is still unknown.

In total, it is planned to make 72 copies of this model, after which the Italian brand will present the revived Pantera and Mangusta — the corresponding names have already been patented.