Today, more than six years after its first appearance at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed, De Tomaso showed off the P72 supercar, which is ready for production. The P72’s lavish interior is devoid of touchscreens and includes a six-speed manual transmission with a visible linkage. The supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine delivers 700 horsepower, upholding De Tomaso’s legacy of combining stunning Italian design with powerful American V-8 performance. The beautiful P72 racecar from 2019 was the first time the De Tomaso name was used again after more than ten years. The rebuilt company has been mostly quiet over the last six years, except when it showed off the P72 at auto shows. This is despite saying it would build 72 cars. After De Tomaso showed it off in its final production form, we now have another chance to enjoy the P72’s curved body, plush interior, eight-cylinder engine, and manual gearbox. De Tomaso says that delivery will start later this year. The company that made the P72 says it is unique. Still, reports say that the carbon-fiber chassis is shared with the Apollo Intense Emozione, which is another limited-edition supercar owned by Norman Choi, who is responsible for De Tomaso’s comeback. The unique body is made entirely of carbon fiber and has big side intakes, wide fenders, and a look that reminds me of endurance racers from the 1960s. The house is a wonderful thing. A lot of gauges and physical controls are on the dashboard. They are all made of machined metal with a copper finish, and there are no touchscreens or infotainment systems. Although there is no digital method to link the phone to the vehicle, De Tomaso discreetly installed a phone mount in case you ever need to pull up a map. It looks like the P72 doesn’t have speakers either, since De Tomaso says, “the engine is the soundtrack.” The only screen in the car is the one in the digital rearview mirror, which is required by law to show the backup camera. You will also be interested in the manual shifter, which is not common in current supercars. Like the Lotus Emira, it has an open connector that stresses the connection between people and technology. Like the gauges, the shift knob has a pattern of lines that cross over each other, making it look like a gem. There is a six-speed manual transmission to go with the supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine. Top Gear says the engine is a Roush-tuned Ford Coyote engine that is also found in some Mustang and F-150 models, even though De Tomaso said it was “developed exclusively” for the P72. De Tomaso has a long history of combining Italian design with V-8 engines made in the United States. The famous Pantera, which was made from 1971 to 1992, had Ford V-8s. This seems over the top for a high-end and definitely pricey supercar like the P72. De Tomaso says that “bespoke forged internals” and a blower made just for him allow the V-8 to make 700 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque. Performance numbers were not given, and De Tomaso said that the engine is not meant to go fast; instead, the short gear ratios make the driver more involved. A pushrod suspension and three-way dampers that can be adjusted by hand are two more advanced features. The example shown in these pictures is a “internal production specification unit,” which means it will not be part of the 72-unit production run. According to De Tomaso, each of the 72 devices that will be provided to clients will be carefully tailored. We don’t know how much the P72 will cost, but it will be well over $1 million.
