De Tomaso Reveals Its New P72 Supercar, A Homage To The P70 Prototype Intended For Carroll Shelby

De Tomaso, like many specialist Italian auto manufacturers, has been through some turbulent times throughout its history, but since being acquired by Norman Choi of Ideal Team Ventures in 2014, it has been undergoing a slow but steady revival, culminating in the P72 supercar that was unveiled at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Coinciding with the marque’s 60th anniversary, the P72 draws on the company’s long and illustrious heritage; in this case, the 1964 P70 prototype race car that was meant to be a collaboration between Carroll Shelby and Alejandro De Tomaso.

The design was taken care of by Peter Brock with De Tomaso in charge of the engineering. Shelby meanwhile was meant to fund it but differing views on the project meant that De Tomaso eventually unveiled the car as a Ghia-De Tomaso Sport 5000 at the 1965 Turin Motor Show. While the car did not see success on track, much of its running gear ended up being used in the Mangusta road car. The modern-day P72 is a nod to this ill-fated racer and Wyn Design has incorporated many touches to evoke memories of classic ’60s and ’70s GT cars.

The interior features an attention to detail and design style that looks like a combination between a Pagani and a classic sports car. Made predominantly of carbon fiber, the P72’s chassis will be shared with the Apollo IE sports car, another brand also owned by Ideal Team Ventures. While no details of the P72’s powertrain have been revealed yet, the show car clearly had a manual transmission and it is quite likely that the 6.3-liter V12 powering the Apollo will also find its way into the De Tomaso.  Intended to pave the way for a new generation of De Tomaso sports cars, just 72 P72s will be built at a cost of $842,000 each. Deposits are already being taken to secure the build slots.

Images courtesy of De Tomaso