It’s been a minute since we’ve heard something new about what we originally described as the “impossibly gorgeous” De Tomaso P72 when it debuted in 2019 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This reborn supercar from the 1960s stormed up the hill that year amid agape jaws, and the company behind it, a reborn De Tomaso, promised production of 72 units in the coming years.
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If you thought that spectacular debut is where the story ends, you’d be wrong. De Tomaso has just revealed to us its progress towards production, and what you may have seen as a quixotic endeavor to revive a legend has become a fully fledged operation hurtling towards its end goal.
The biggest news is that De Tomaso is partnering with capricorn Group and opening a brand new, state of the art Nurburgring facility where the P72 will continue development and ultimately be produced. De Tomaso originally intended to develop and produce the P72 in the United States, but you can thank Covid for torpedoing the company’s timelines. Where one door closes, though, another opens, and winding up with a production facility on the famed Nurburgring seems like a serious, world-class Plan B, and one without compromise. Construction on the building has already begun and will be completed this year.
“Today we are proud to announce a new strategic partnership which reaffirms our philosophy, strengthens our core competencies and ensures the highest level of quality for our future offerings." said De Tomaso Automobili Chairman, Norman Choi. "Our P72 will not only be developed on, but also produced at the legendary Nürburgring, providing unrivaled experience, quality and value for our clients.”
You may not have heard of capricorn before, but you’ve seen the cars it’s helped develop. Cars like the Le Mans-winning Porsche 919 LMP1 car. For the P72, capricorn will be responsible for developing things like the car’s composites, its carbon chassis, suspension, and castings. It will also handle production of the car’s development prototypes and the final version for customers.
“The partnership allows us to collaborate with a proven, world-class leader, streamlining our operations and supply chain as with capricorn we can internalise our composite, componentry and foundry operations without creating unnecessary burdens,” said De Tomaso CEO/CMO Ryan Berris. “This permits us to retain our true essence as we continue to incorporate the pinnacle of design, engineering, craftsmanship and materials in vehicles that reinforce our principles and carry true-provenance.”
De Tomaso has also revealed improvements to the P72s cutting-edge, carbon chassis that result in more head and legroom for the car’s occupants without changing its exterior dimensions. They’ve also lowered the car’s center of gravity for improved handling and stability.
Lastly, the P72’s impossibly gorgeous shape isn’t just for show. De Tomaso tested and finalized the aerodynamics in collaboration with parties responsible for Toyota's Formula 1 and LMP1 efforts, at the renowned Toyota’s F1 wind tunnel in Cologne, Germany. The company is now starting production of ‘pre-series’ prototypes with a new goal of delivering cars to customers in early 2023.
By: Motor1
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