Tomaso Catchup: up close with the gorgeous P72 project
In the realm of Very Fast Cars, things happen s-l-o-w-l-y. Last month, Top Gear brought you a world exclusive Lotus Evija test drive. Revealed in 2019, the world's most powerful road car wasn't ready for either of its customers until mid-2025. If that strikes you as running later than a Northern rail service, what about the Aston Martin Valkyrie? The V12 F1 moonshot finally starred at TG's 2024 Speed Week eight years (and two CEOs) after it was announced. And those are the cars that scramble out of the primordial ooze of a wishful rendering into carbon clad reality. If you slapped a deposit down on an Arash AF10 (2016), Dendrobium D-1 (2017) or heaven forbid the second gen Tesla Roadster (2017) your investment's about as safe as $hawktuah coin.
So despite a knockout reaction back in the pre-saucepan bashing times of 2019, you probably didn't expect to hear from the De Tomaso P72 again. When the rouge beauty was unveiled at that summer's Goodwood Festival of Speed, the company didn't have a factory or a confirmed engine supplier. Classic vapourware.
Advertisement - Page continues below
Plus the curse of badge baggage: De Tomaso peaked in the 1970s, floundered in the 2000s and was bought out by Hong Kong financier Norman Choi in 2014. Have a canter through the leagues of defunct sports car marques that new money's gamely failed to resurrect. Brabham. Bristol. Delage, Marcos, Veritas, TVR. Even before Covid-19 or tariffs hit, the P72's survival chances were lower than a plucky promoted Premier League side's.
Photography: Mark Riccioni
But knock me over with a peacock feather, it's complete. First deliveries in time for Christmas to 72 very patient owners. Well, 71 originals – an elderly American deposit holder actually died waiting – but De Tomaso's backers weren't worried. Its waiting list outstrips the number it'll build 20-fold.
I'm meeting the company boss and his labour of love in a nondescript studio on the fringes of Stuttgart. Customers are inbound for a 'ta-dah, thanks for holding' anticipation builder as they sift through swatches. Days after I'm allowed to sit inside (on a chamois leather so my jeans don't discolour the virgin seats) it's shipped stateside to meet more clients. Seeing is believing.
Advertisement - Page continues below
Let's canter through the spec and we'll alight on what's changed since 2019. The carbon bodywork originally sketched by ex-McLaren talent Jowyn Wong has survived intact. Thank God for that, it's a stunning shape that owes nothing to generating downforce. Instead it appears to be made of windswept silk then frozen with liquid nitrogen. The only visual change is a less angular diffuser, concealing twin transmission chilling radiators.
Those voluptuous haunches and bubble canopy are rich in nods to the Ferrari P3/4 and Lola T70 MkIII with just a dash of original Porsche 917K. De Tomaso only notes the one off P70 prototype racer as the real inspiration for the shape. Not so sure about that – the P70 had a fixed rear wing and faired wheels – and was destined to only race once, as project chief Carroll Shelby was poached by Ford in 1965 to mastermind something called the GT40.
Power, ironically, comes from Ford. Just like the Pantera and Mangusta of De Tomaso's heyday, the P72 is thrust along by a big American V8: the 5.0-litre Coyote rumbler usually found in a Mustang. Humble beginnings, but that's deliberate. Choi says he wanted to continue the company's lineage of Detroit firepower, and create a 'timepiece' – an heirloom passed down through generations. Something easier to service than a hybrid boost quint turbo V17.
Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox.
Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
30 minutes ago
- Reuters
Despondent Hamilton says he's 'useless' and Ferrari should replace him
BUDAPEST, Aug 2 (Reuters) - A despondent Lewis Hamilton said he was "useless" and suggested Ferrari needed another driver after qualifying 12th for the Hungarian Grand Prix with teammate Charles Leclerc on pole position. The seven-time Formula One world champion, who is 40, has an unrivalled record in Hungary with eight wins and nine poles but Saturday's performance was far from those heights. "It's me every time. I'm useless, absolutely useless," he told Sky Sports television when explaining why he had said "every time, every time" over the radio after failing to make the cut. "The team have no problem. You've seen the car's on pole. "So we probably need to change driver." Hamilton joined Ferrari from Mercedes in January and has yet to stand on the podium for Formula One's oldest, most glamorous and successful team although he did win the Shanghai sprint from pole in March. Leclerc has had five top three finishes in 13 races so far this season.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Charles Leclerc stuns McLaren with shock pole position for Ferrari in Hungary
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took a surprise pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix – as team-mate Lewis Hamilton could manage only 12th. Championship leader Oscar Piastri and title rival Lando Norris had been expected to fight for pole but the McLaren men were left to settle for second and third respectively. Leclerc saw off Piastri by just 0.026 seconds with Norris only 0.015 sec behind the Australian. George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes. McLaren had dominated all weekend at the Hungaroring with Norris fastest in both sessions on Friday, and Piastri – who leads his team-mate by 16 points in the world championship – quickest in the concluding running prior to qualifying. But Leclerc pulled a mighty lap out of the bag to secure both his and Ferrari's first pole of the season. The Monegasque said: 'Today, I don't understand anything in Formula One. Honestly, the whole qualifying was extremely difficult. When I say extremely difficult, it's not exaggerating. 'It was difficult for us to get to Q2, it was difficult for us to get to Q3. In Q3, the conditions changed a little bit. Everything became a lot trickier, and I knew I just had to do a clean lap to target third. 'At the end of the day, it's pole position. I definitely did not expect that. Honestly, I have no words. It's probably one of the best pole positions I've ever had. It's the most unexpected, for sure.' In the other scarlet car, Hamilton has a record eight wins and nine pole positions in Hungary. However, a week after he qualified only 16th at Spa-Francorchamps, he suffered another setback when he was knocked out of Q2. Hamilton has now been outqualified by Leclerc at 10 of the 14 rounds so far. TOP-10 - HUNGARY GP QUALIFYING 'Every time, every time,' said the British driver after he was informed of his early exit. Hamilton emerged from his cockpit and walked towards the Ferrari motorhome holding his gloves in front of his visor to obstruct the full glare of the waiting TV cameras. Hamilton's lowly grid slot looks set to extend his run without a podium finish to 14 races. Until this season he had never gone more than 10 races into a campaign without finishing in the top three. Hamilton's replacement at Mercedes, the teenager Kimi Antonelli, has only scored once in his last seven appearances and he too failed to make it out of Q2, qualifying 15th. Aston Martin have been woefully out of sorts this year and are eighth in the constructors' standings. Both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll failed to make it out of Q1 at the previous round. However, Alonso – who turned 44 earlier this week – and Stroll progressed to the final phase on Saturday, and will start fifth and sixth respectively. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen qualified eighth for Red Bull. Alex Albon has enjoyed a strong season – he finished sixth last weekend – but he will line up from the back of the pack here after qualifying 20th and last. Yuki Tsunoda was also eliminated in Q1 for the fifth time this season, leaving him 16th on the grid.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Lewis Hamilton: I'm absolutely useless and Ferrari need a new driver
Lewis Hamilton said he is 'absolutely useless' and claimed Ferrari need to replace him after he qualified 12th for the Hungarian Grand Prix – as team-mate Charles Leclerc took pole position. Outside of a sprint win at the second round in China, Hamilton's move from Mercedes to Ferrari has failed to live up to its blockbuster billing and his debut season in red took another sorry twist when he was knocked out of Q2 at the Hungaroring. The 40-year-old has a record eight wins and nine pole positions here. However, a week after he qualified only 16th at Spa-Francorchamps, he suffered another setback. Hamilton has now been out-qualified by Leclerc at 10 of the 14 rounds so far and trails his team-mate by 30 points in the standings. And, in an astonishing admission in the moments after qualifying, Hamilton told Sky Sports: 'It's me every time. 'I'm useless, absolutely useless. The team have no problem. You've seen the car's on pole. So we probably need to change driver.' After he failed to progress to Q3, Hamilton emerged from his cockpit and walked towards the Ferrari motorhome holding his gloves in front of his visor to obstruct the full glare of the waiting TV cameras. Hamilton's lowly grid slot looks set to extend his run without a podium finish to 14 races. Until this season he had never gone more than 10 rounds into a campaign without finishing in the top three. Championship leader Oscar Piastri and title rival Lando Norris had been expected to fight for pole, but the McLaren men were left to settle for second and third respectively. Leclerc saw off Piastri by just 0.026 seconds, with Norris only 0.015secs behind the Australian. George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes. Leclerc said: 'Today I don't understand anything in Formula One. Honestly, the whole qualifying was extremely difficult. When I say extremely difficult, it's not exaggerating. 'It was difficult for us to get to Q2, it was difficult for us to get to Q3. In Q3, the conditions changed a little bit. Everything became a lot trickier and I knew I just had to do a clean lap to target third. 'At the end of the day, it's pole position. I definitely did not expect that. Honestly, I have no words. It's probably one of the best pole positions I've ever had. It's the most unexpected, for sure.'
