De Tomaso Brand Returns With New Model in July, Report Claims

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

De Tomaso, the idled Italian supercar brand that built a handful of drool-worthy models during its tumultuous lifespan, is poised for a resurrection.

The one-time maker of the Ford-powered Mangusta and Pantera will return from its hibernation with a new model introduced at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 4th, the brand’s owners claim. Lovers of the brand’s historical offerings no doubt have their fingers crossed, hoping this isn’t another false start.

Speaking to The Drive, Apollo Automobil CEO (and De Tomaso chairman) Norman Choi and General Manager Ryan Berris didn’t describe the vehicle, preferring to go by its code name, “Project P.”

Apollo, founded by Roland Gumpert in 2004, was purchased in 2016 by Hong Kong’s Ideal Team Venture, a consortium that also owns the De Tomaso trademark. De Tomaso’s last vehicle, the Guara, ceased production in 2004, shortly after founder Alejandro de Tomaso’s death. An abortive attempt to restart production of new vehicles under new ownership went nowhere in the early part of this decade.

Ideal Team Ventures, led by Choi, purchased the brand in 2014.

Berris claim the brand is working with Apollo’s “existing technical partnerships” to make the new model a reality. Apparently, a “world-renown German engineering firm” will help De Tomaso bring the car to Goodwood. He hinted that the vehicle on display will not be a piece of vaporware.

“Alejandro’s journey was never properly told and we feel his name should be commonly recognized amongst greats such as Enzo Ferrari and Ferruccio Lamborghini,” Berris said.

He acknowledged that some observers will regard the marque’s attempted reboot with no shortage of doubt.

“Alejandro, [though] a controversial figure, was a visionary and a man on a mission. What he achieved is nothing short of astonishing,” Berris said. “I am sure there is no shortage of skeptics who have their reservations about the credibility and execution of a potential revival of this legendary marque. And rightfully so. But I think once people see the new car and hear the story behind the brand and our revival, that they may take a pause to collect their thoughts. It was and is important for us to do things right.”

[Image: De Tomaso]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Dukeisduke Dukeisduke on May 16, 2019

    Alejandro is long dead, so what's the point? I don't see anything new capturing the spirit of the Pantera, or the pictured Mangusta. Speaking of the Mangusta, look at the tires on that one. Compared to today's low-profile rubber, those like a set of 35s on a brodozer.

    • See 2 previous
    • Voyager Voyager on May 16, 2019

      @Garrett I second that!

  • Voyager Voyager on May 16, 2019

    Hopefully also return of the high-sidewall balloon tire. Because those large-diameter rims with just a hint of rubber has gotten ridiculous.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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