DE TOMASO

De Tomaso P72: a work of art on wheels for 1.6 million euros

De Tomaso is another dream sports car builder that was born in the Modena/Maranello region, an area that had already seen the emergence of Ferrari and Lamborghini. Founded in 1959 by Alejandro de Tomaso, this brand brought us stunning models such as the Mangusta (1966) and the Pantera (1971) — which would liven up the speed racing scene in Angola in the 70s and in Portugal in the 80s, in hands of pilot Tino Pereira —, both designed by Ghia and with Ford V8 mechanics. De Tomaso would be sold in 2009 and then again in 2015, this time to Hong Kong-based Consolidated Ideal Team Ventures, which displayed a prototype of the new P72 at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Now De Tomaso has announced that, after five years of development, the Goodwood prototype is ready to move into series production and be delivered to buyers. Only 72 units will be manufactured, priced at 1.6 million euros each, with the model maintaining rounded and decidedly retro lines, easily associated with the De Tomaso P70 competition.

The P72 uses a carbon fiber monocoque chassis, the same material that is used to mold the body. Inside, the new De Tomaso model is more luxurious than the exterior suggests, as if justifying the high price the customer paid. The engine chosen to power this road monster is a supercharged 5.0 V8, capable of delivering 750 hp and a very respectable 900 Nm of force, which promises to be extremely fast as the P72 should not exceed 1000 kg.

But the De Tomaso P72 is just one of the models that the Italian brand will launch in 2025, as the P900 is also in an advanced state of development, a model based on the P72, but more spartan (to be lighter) and homologated only for track use. 

The P900 is proposed for 3 million euros and has a naturally aspirated 6.2 V12 that manages the rare feat of reaching 12,300 rpm, a brutality that corresponds to having a unitary displacement of 516 cc, thus surpassing the V12 that Cosworth developed for the T. 50 by Gordon Murray and the V12 that Aston Martin mounts in the Valkyrie.

As the new V12 will only be ready in 2026, De Tomaso is considering equipping the P900 with a V10 manufactured by Judd, an engine well known to us as it equipped the Benetton B197 F1s that Gerard Berger and Jean Alesi drove in 1997. To be confirmed, This will only increase the rating (and driving pleasure) of the super sports track car.

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