Revived Italian supercar with 700bhp supercharged heart lands with customers by Christmas

The DeTomaso P72 is determined not to be supercar vapourware. Remember the voluptuously styled stunner that graced the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed, slathered in rose-gold? It’s been ominously quiet. You might’ve presumed the whole project was dead in the water. 

But despite the pandemic and political upheaval creating some gale-force headwinds, the P72 is ready. TopGear.com has been granted exclusive access to the finished car, ahead of first deliveries with patient owners by Christmas 2025. 

Although prototype P72s stoked engine rumours by borrowing the V12 from the Apollo Intensa Emozione also spearheaded by DeTomaso boss Norman Choi, the production cars will stay true to DeTomaso’s American-powered roots. 700bhp and 590lb ft – plenty for pushing along around 1,400kg – comes courtesy of a 5.0-litre Roush-honed Ford V8 with forged pistons and crank, boosted by a bespoke supercharger specified to create as little whine as possible, because Choi prefers a naturally aspirated sound. No confirmed performance numbers yet, because Norman doesn’t seem bothered about a 0-60 time or a top speed.

The mid-mounted powerplant lies in a carbon cradle, beneath a clamshell cover lined in gold foil, as prescribed in Gordon Murray’s supercar bible. It’s dry-sump lubricated and the ceramic-coated exhaust exits (via the suspension wishbones, in an intricate loop) directly out the top of the rear deck. 

Though the car you’re looking at has been equipped with enormous silencers to meet European drive-by noise laws, DeTomaso is working on pipes with a more relaxed attitude to noise pollution. 

While the concept P72 used a sequential gearbox, the finished car stays true to the original promise to deploy a six-speed manual with a clutch pedal and a gorgeous Pagani-esque exposed linkage. Alongside the GMA T.50, Aston Martin Valiant and Pagani Utopia, the age of the stick-shift hypercar really does appear to be upon us. 

‘Stick’ doesn’t really do this one justice. The gear lever is one of 179 pieces of milled aluminium in the P72’s phenomenally ornate cabin – 19 more than the Bugatti Tourbillon, which uses the same metalwork supplier, we’re told. The knurled brightwork and switchgear is available in three finishes and endless colours, and there are endless details to drool over. 

The Roman numeral-engraved rev-counter that spins to IX (9). The triplet of oil pressure, temperature and coolant gauges in the centre. There is no infotainment system, no Apple CarPlay, not even a radio. The only ‘screen’ inside is the mirror which doubles as a display for the rear-view camera, a necessity specified by the company boss who’s owned a multitude of supercars and finds manoeuvring in narrow Hong Kong parking garages a trifle stressful. If you’d prefer to do without the virtual mirror, it’s a delete-option.

 Since we saw the P72 at Goodwood, DeTomaso has reworked the LMP1-spec carbon monocoque for a lower sill to ease entry, and fixed the seats to the tub itself for improved cabin space. The steering wheel and pedals adjust to suit each driver, who’ll park their wealthy backside on bespoke seat cushions.

The driving position is pure racecar: low, with backside on the deck and heels raised to meet the floor-hinged pedals. The cabin is snug, but airy thanks to glass-topped doors that onlookers will appreciate as much as occupants. Who wouldn’t want to gawp at that interior? 

DeTomaso says the P72 is a GT car – hence its generous 100-litre fuel tank – as opposed to the track-spec Apollo from the related stable. But you’re going to be travelling light: twin luggage bins aft of the engine are big enough for a crash helmet and a change of underwear for both occupants, but you’ll be packing light into the fitted luggage.

If this is the first you’re hearing of the P72 and you made a mint selling hand-sanitiser during covid, you’ll probably want one, even at €1.6m a pop. Plus taxes. 

Bad news: all 72 are sold. Have been for years, and there’s a lengthy waiting list in case someone drops out of the queue. TG’s spidey-sense is that DeTomaso isn’t going to have gone to the trouble of dreaming up this new supercar for just one production run, so stay tuned for the P900 track-only version, and perhaps another version in the coming years.

Photography: Mark Riccioni
Text: Top Gear