De Tomaso P72 Prototype 2019

Norman Choi is a businessman from Honk Kong who invested in Gumpert Automobile and supported the development of the Apollo prototype which became a limited edition (10 units) Apollo Intensa Emozione produced in partnership with HWA and Manufatura Automobili Torino. The Apollo Intensa Emozione is propelled by a 6.3 Litre V12.
Norman Choi also acquired the De Tomaso brand and decided for the return of a legend under the designation of De Tomaso P72.

The De Tomaso P72 prototype was first introduced at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed before appearing on the Concept Lawn at the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The styling is inspired by the 1965 De Tomaso P70 completed in partnership between De Tomaso and Carrol Shelby where Pete Brock designed the P70 after completing the famous Cobra Daytona.

De Tomaso P72 Prototype 2019 : The Initiative How to Revive the Brand

"After acquiring the brand in 2014, our team took a deep pause and asked ourselves, how do we want to embark on this initiative?  How can we revive the brand with a new product whilst telling the untold story of the brands rich history in parallel?
De Tomaso is a special brand, a misunderstood brand, an incredible story that was never told.  We may be young, but we are true historians at heart.  The easiest thing for us to do, and the road most traveled in the automotive industry today, would have been to make a grandiose entrance with claims of high production numbers, creating a modern rendition of the iconic Pantera, the brands most famous model.  Whilst the Pantera is an incredible car, this wasn’t the approach we were inclined to take." declared Norman Choi.

 “We took our time, we digested, we read, we studied. We learned more and more about Alejandro and the incredible achievements that he had attained. In reality, when most people hear the word De Tomaso, the only thing that comes to mind is the Pantera. This is a true icon and the most successful car of the brand. However, our approach is not solely product driven, it is driven by history and the brand.” -Norman Choi, Chairman of De Tomaso expressed.  

Speaking about the new P72, Norman Choi, of De Tomaso, said, “We are delighted to announce the launch of this exclusive car. We have devoted numerous days and nights developing a car that can live up to its predecessor. The P72 evokes the spirit of Alejandro de Tomaso, the brand and the eras that this car represents.” 

De Tomaso P72 Prototype 2019 : Design

The P72’s evolutionary design focuses on timeless beauty and timeless proportions of the ’60’s Le Mans prototype vehicles into the modern era.  The P72 is a collaboration between De Tomaso and Wyn Design, much like the collaboration between Alejandro and Carroll Shelby.

With continuous flow of all surfaces, beautifully bold lines, emphasized powerful wheel arches, low nose and teardrop glasshouse architecture, resulting in perfect proportions.

“We intentionally incorporated a distinctive aerodynamically optimized body for performance and to modernize the aesthetics, while the classic wing mirrors and front emblem cap pays homage to the P70.“ - Jowyn Wong, P72 designer and founder of Wyn Design explained. 

He continued, “Beneath the surface, the interior showcases an elaborated combination of design and exotic  materials. Polished copper and diamond pattern detailing  adorn the cabin, fashioning a true sense of drama and occasion.  The classically designed switchgear and circular analog dials take inspiration from the timeless design themes of the 60s and 70s era.”

De Tomaso P72 Prototype 2019 : Chassis -Bespoke all-carbon fibre chassis

The P72 is based on the state-of-the-art all-carbon chassis from the Apollo IE, featuring the first all-carbon fiber production chassis of its kind, consisting of the monocoque, as well as subframes and crash structures that adhere to respective FIA LMP safety requirements and features a carbon mono-cell.  A similar approach to what Alejandro had done with his state-ofthe-art chassis by sharing it with the Vallelunga, P70 and Mangusta.  By conducting a technology transfer from the Apollo IE, the P72 has a tested and proven platform which will ensure the highest level of quality and performance with an accelerated development timeline.

De Tomaso P72 Prototype 2019 : The Limited Run There will only be 72

The P72 will remain highly exclusive and only 72 cars will be produced.  Whilst having a cutting-edge world-class chassis the Project P features a design with perpetual beauty and a proper manual transmission.  This is a car for all generations.  Full technical specifications and pricing will be revealed in due course.  We are forecasting a base price for the P72 of  approximately 750,000 euro and are currently accepting Registrations of Interest via soft deposits for the limited run while we finalize the production specifications and pricing.  The exterior and interior designs will remain largely the same and we will disclose final details on  the powertrain and other strategic partnerships in the coming months as we plan for the full homologation process for our target markets. 

De Tomaso Automobili has secured a global network of dealer partners. Our partners have been proudly appointed, reinforcing the significance of this revival and add further credence to our future plans and vision. Our representation is planned as follows: North America - Miller Motorcars, United Kingdom and Middle East - Joe Macari Performance Cars, Continental Europe - Louwman Exclusive and for Asia - SPS Automotive.

The Inspiration - Meet the P70 A collaboration between Carroll Shelby and Alejandro de Tomaso

As with the GT1 era for the IE, another favorite era of ours is the prototype days of the sixties.  A simpler time and a more curvaceous period.  Being completely honest, when the brand was acquired we were unaware that this prototype period was part of the De Tomaso heritage.  During our studies, endless research both on and offline and speaking to those still around from the brands past a fascinating and untold piece of De Tomaso and Automotive history surfaced.  It is during this time that we discovered P.  By P we mean “Prototipi” which in the history of De Tomaso references back to a special period and a special project.  A project for which most have no idea ever existed.

“In 1964 the unlikely pairing of Carroll Shelby and Alejandro de Tomaso, two of the strongest egos in international motorsport, conspired to build a car they felt could defeat the best in the world, they created the P70.” - Peter Brock, designer of Shelby Daytona Coupe, Corvette Stingray and the original P70.

The understanding was that Shelby would provide the financing, Alejandro would engineer the car and Peter Brock would provide the design and the fabrication would be conducted by Fantuzzi.  The collaboration began on the hopes that De Tomaso would provide the chassis and convert Shelby’s 289 Ford/Cobra engine to 7 liters.  The conversion of the engine to 7 liters was a key part of their partnership in order to compete with the big block Chevrolet engines.  

The Shelby-De Tomaso “Prototipi” was known as the 'P70' due to its planned 7 liter engine.  Both strong personalities the two naturally experienced some tension. This really began to increase once Carroll Shelby sent his designer, Peter Brock, to Modena to oversee the project.  Alejandro was insulted that someone question his abilities, and this is when the relation began to slowly dissipate.   Over the course of the project the combination of two titans and ulterior motives led to the dissolving of the relationship on the eve of the cars completion.  Shelby withdrew from the project as he was being courted to turn his focus to the Ford GT40 race program and was displeased with the fact that he still had not seen his promised 7 liter engine.  
This parting of ways left a “chip” on Alejandro’s shoulder who would then see the project through to completion with the assistance of coach-builder Ghia (a company he would later acquire).  The vehicle was displayed at the Turin Motor Show in 1965, renamed the 'Ghia-De Tomaso Sport 5000’. 

P.Damiens, source De Tomaso Media Archives and Newspress

Wallpapers :De Tomaso P72 Prototype 2019 (click on image to enlarge)