De Tomaso P72 Makes World Debut at Festival of Speed
‘60’s racer styling, a naturally aspirated V12, and an interior on par with the best of the Italians. There really isn’t much more you could ask for from a new hypercar.
What Started it All
De Tomaso was always a household name to me growing up. My dad, as a Mustang guy, didn’t know much about the cars, but he knew what engine they had. I always wanted to know about this mysterious car that looked like nothing else I had seen before. In the sea of Mustang's Camaro's and GTO’s that roamed the Detroit streets, the Pantara was an exotic machine from a wondrous land far away. Every once in a lucky while, I would get to catch a glimpse at the machine that started my wonder with foreign cars at the local car show or the Woodward Dream Cruise.
They’re Back
The De Tomaso Pantera was everything that fed my fascination with cars. It was Italian, loud as hell, and somehow still American. It was the most confusing car in the world to me. Whenever I asked my dad about it, he just told me it had a 351 Cleveland. “Why the hell does it have an engine named after an Ohio city” I used to think, “And why the hell is that even matter?” The company that brought awe and wonder back then is finally back, and with an all new model.
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DeTomaso P72
The DeTomaso P72 is the new car from the Italian manufacturer De Tomaso Automobili. The P72 is brought to life by the same crazy heads that gave us the Apollo Intensa Emozione. The two cars share a chassis and engine but have a completely different focus.
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Same Chassis, Different Focus
While the Apollo IE is a Superleggera (superlight) hypercar with a hardcore track focus and psychotic aerodynamics styling that looks more comfortable in a supervillains garage than a race track. The P72 is a throwback ‘60s race car design, with an interior that would make Liberace jealous.
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Raw Race Car
The Apollo IE is based on modern GT1/LMP race cars and comes equipped with a V12 to rival them. The goal is to make a hypercar in its rawest form. There isn’t a more appropriate chassis to use for the P72. The raw V12 and monocoque chassis attempt to create the purest form of race-inspired hypercar with minimal interference from modern technology and controls. For a car that embodies the nature of the ‘60s, you couldn’t ask for anything better.
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Specs
The specs haven’t completely been released for the P72. However, we can base a lot on Apollo IE. The 6.3l V12 in the IE puts out 780 horsepower and has a top speed of 208 mph. Similar specs can be expected of the P72. Transmission specs have yet to be released.
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Similarities to the P4
The body shapes are absolutely gorgeous. Clearly taking inspiration from the race cars of a completely different era, the P72 mixes modern form and function with old design languages. Many compare the P72 to the Ferrari P4 by Pininfarina, including Glickenhaus himself, and while the similarities are there, most cars of the 60’s racers looked very similar, so it’s difficult to pin the inspiration on the P4.
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