De Tomaso is back (again), this time sharing underpinnings with the new Apollo…
Plenty of names have been dragged from the annals of history in recent years, only to be plastered across machines which, in reality, have very little in common with their supposed forebears. It might seem that the latest to jump on the bandwagon is Hong Kong-based IdealVenture, which has revealed its latest product in the form of the De Tomaso P72 at this week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The car is not claimed to be a continuation of the marque’s lineage, or even a throwback to its iconic Pantera, but is instead intended to elicit a spiritual connection to the futuristic P70 prototype race car of the 1960s. To that end its design is inspired by both racing machines of the period and De Tomasso’s own heritage, while its underpinnings are borrowed directly from the Apollo Intensa Emozione, also built by IdealVenture.
This means that the entire structure, down to the carbon fibre monocoque chassis, is constructed to Le Mans Prototype regulations, despite the plush interior appearing a considerably more hospitable environment than a true endurance racer. There’s no word yet on the P72’s technical specifications, though if it were to share more than just a chassis with Apollo’s IE then it wouldn’t be unreasonabour expectations. In the 1,250kg IE, the 780hp powerplant results in a 0-62 time of 2.7 seconds. Speaking from the car’s podium beside the Goodwood Concours lawn, De Tomaso CMO Ryan Berris will only tell us that an engine partnership has been confirmed, with more details coming soon.
He also explains that the decision to relaunch the brand came about in 2014, when IdealVenture purchased the rights to the name from the Italian government. The spiritual connection to original company comes in the desire to offer cutting-edge performance, luxury and technology for a fraction of the cost of more established rivals. With 72 examples priced at £662,000 a piece set to be produced, it’s hardly cheap, but for a machine with LMP credentials it could be a relative steal in comparison to the million-pound hypercars that have become commonplace on the Geneva and Frankfurt floors. As with so many aspects of this car, we’ll just have to wait and see.
(Pics from Goodwood to follow, honest!)
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