De Tomaso P72 debuts on Goodwood with a fantastic retro style

2019 marks the 60th anniversary of De Tomaso's founding. Made by Alejandro de Tomaso, the sports car manufacturer built some beautiful sports cars, including Pantera, which you most likely are familiar with. The company went into liquidation in 2004, and after some shuffling, it was eventually bought by Hong Kong-based Ideal Team Ventures, and now it is back with its first new car for decades.

On Thursday, 72, De Tomaso revealed an absolute beginner of a limited-edition sports car. It carries a number of vintage elements, from the prototype-like curves of its body panels to the honest to goodness manual gearbox. Despite these setbacks, this car is thoroughly modern, from its base to the interior to be seen as believed.

It all starts with a carbon fiber chassis similar to that from Apollo Intensa Emozione another automaker under Ideal Team Ventures & # 39; umbrella. It is wrapped in a body that throws it back to the Le Mans cars from the 1

960s, with louvres, baskets and diffusers largely. De Tomaso claims that the chassis is built for FIA Le Mans Prototype specifications, so in a perfect world this can form the basis of a recording in the FIA's upcoming hypercar class.

And then there is the interior. This cockpit has shades of Pagani in the sense that everything seems too complicated and expensive. Quilted leather contrasts with exposed carbon fiber. The manual gearbox has exposed couplings. The pedal box is floor mounted. The gauges look as if they are shedding from golden Faberge eggs. It's all wild.

Interestingly, we do not know much about the driveline, except for its pinch. De Tomaso did not say what was under the engine cover behind the seats. Because of its analogous character, I would tend to bet that it is more likely to be a proper V8 than a kind of electrified setup.

It will be exclusive as hell, as P72's name suggests how many automakers to build – only six dozen. Each will manage a prize of around $ 662,000 (about $ 833,000), and De Tomaso will probably buy more than some orders at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, so if this puts you in your alley, cash in those stocks and book a flight to England Posthaste.