De Tomaso Just Built the First Production Example of the P72 Supercar
Good things come to those who wait—especially around the holidays.
De Tomaso has shared a glimpse of the first production-spec example of the P72 supercar. The stylish speed machine arrived more than five years after the comeback model was first unveiled.
The resurrected De Tomaso announced its return by unveiling the P72 back in the summer of 2019. Hailed as a “Modern Day Time Machine,” the flamboyant supercar was heavily inspired by the P70, a collaboration between Carroll Shelby and Alejandro de Tomaso that failed to come to fruition. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic hit the next year, slowing the development of the vehicle and upping the chances that it would meet the same fate as the car it was inspired by.
Inside the De Tomaso P72
De Tomaso Automobil
A half-decade later and the company has announced that the P72 is just about ready to go into production. De Tomaso has shared photos of a production-spec example, chassis 001, that will be used for the final stage of “dynamic evaluation,” or testing, before it begins building customer cars. None of the photos offer a complete image of the finished vehicle, but they suggest that the company will come awfully close to what it promised.
Chassis 001 hasn’t been painted yet, but the photos show that its carbon-fiber body is just as curvaceous as the concept shown at the tail end of the last decade. But the vehicle has evolved in other ways. It will no longer share a bespoke carbon-fiber tub with sister company Apollo’s Intensa Emozione supercar. Instead, it will feature a chassis designed with German motorsports company HWA, which will be safer and allow for more head and legroom inside the vehicle’s outlandish cabin, according to Motor Authority. The photos show a massive 5.0-liter supercharged V-8. The mill, which is similar to that found in the second-generation Ford GT, will make over 700 hp and 640 ft lbs of torque.
The P72’s 5.0-liter V-8
De Tomaso Automobil
De Tomaso plans to build 72 to examples of the P72, each of which will start at €1.6 million, which works out to around $1.67 million. The company has another more hardcore supercar, the V-12-powered P900 on the way as well.
