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De Tomaso Vallelunga

2010-06-12T04:33:56Z

Parapantera:

De Tomaso

2010-06-12T04:32:01Z

Parapantera:

{{List Of De Tomaso Models}}'''De Tomaso Modena SpA''' is an Italian
[[automobile|car]]-manufacturing company. It was founded by the Argentinian-born [[Alejandro de Tomaso]] (1928 - 2003) in Modena in 1959. The company went into liquidation in 2004; [http://www.italiaspeed.com/2004/cars/others/detomaso/liquidation.html] despite this, new cars were still being made by De Tomaso as of 2005. [http://auto.moldova.org/auto/eng/28/54/]

Originally, De Tomaso produced various prototypes and racing cars, including a [[Formula One|Formula 1]] car for Frank Williams's team in 1970.

== De Tomaso sports cars ==
De Tomaso's first road-going production model was the [[De Tomaso Vallelunga|Vallelunga]], introduced in 1963. This striking mid-engined sports car was propelled with a 104 bhp (78 kW) [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] [[Ford Cortina|Cortina]] engine, and had a top speed of 215 km/h (134 mph). It featured an aluminium backbone [[chassis]], which was to become De Tomaso's technological trademark, and fibreglass bodywork.

The first De Tomaso produced in anything like significant numbers, the [[De Tomaso Mangusta|Mangusta]], introduced in 1966, was also the first to be developed in association with [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]], a firm which was to have a decisive influence on De Tomaso's early life. With the [[De Tomaso Mangusta|Mangusta]] De Tomaso moved from European to American [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] engines; powered by a 4.7-litre iron-block [[V8]] engine and with steel and aluminium coupé bodywork from [[Ghia]] – an Italian coachbuilder also controlled by [[Alejandro de Tomaso]] – the [[De Tomaso Mangusta|Mangusta]] could more than compete with contemporary [[Ferrari]]s and [[Lamborghini]]s on looks, if not on cachet. With its flowing panels and almost absurdly raked rear window, the [[De Tomaso Mangusta|Mangusta]] was a true Italian supercar. About 400 examples were built until production ended in 1971.

The [[De Tomaso Mangusta|Mangusta]] was succeeded by the [[De Tomaso Pantera|Pantera]], the car that was to put De Tomaso on the map – if only briefly. It appeared in 1971 with a 5.8-litre [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] V8 and a low, wedge-shaped body designed by [[Ghia]]'s [http://www.tom-tjaarda.net Tom Tjaarda]. Though less visually arresting than the [[De Tomaso Mangusta|Mangusta]], the [[De Tomaso Pantera|Pantera]] looked set to vault De Tomaso into the ranks of the supercar giants. Through an agreement with [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]], De Tomaso sold [[De Tomaso Pantera|Pantera]]s in the USA through [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]'s [[Lincoln]] and [[Mercury]] dealers. Between 1971 and 1973, 6,128 [[De Tomaso Pantera|Pantera]]s were produced in Modena, dwarfing the intensity of any De Tomaso production runs before or since. Sadly for the firm (and for American supercar fans), the poor quality of Italian steel of the time, combined with [[1973 oil crisis|the oil crisis of the early 1970s]], caused [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] to pull out of the [[De Tomaso Pantera|Pantera]] deal at the end of 1973. (Other supercars of the same era, such as the [[Frua]]-bodied [[AC Cars|AC]] 427 and 428, were to cease production completely for the same reasons.)

After its brief flowering as a mass-production car, the [[De Tomaso Pantera|Pantera]] settled down during the 1970s and into the 1980s as an ordinary, small-production but 'invisible' Italian supercar. This was a shame, as it combined the [[De Tomaso Mangusta|Mangusta]]'s sound mechanicals and (almost as) striking looks with a larger engine and a more luxurious interior. Price-wise, it was much more affordable than its rivals from [[Ferrari]], [[Lamborghini]], [[Aston Martin]] and [[Iso automobile|Iso]]. [[De Tomaso Pantera|Pantera]] production continued at a greatly reduced scale, incorporating a [[Marcello Gandini]] facelift and engine tweaking in 1990, until it was finally phased out in 1993 to make way for the radical, [[carbon fibre|carbon-fibre]]-bodied [[De Tomaso Guarà|Guarà]].

The [[De Tomaso Guarà|Guarà]] is De Tomaso’s most recent production car, and has been built in fits and starts since 1993. Available in coupé and barchetta versions and based on a [[Maserati]] competiton car from 1991, the [[De Tomaso Guarà|Guarà]] uses [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] and [[BMW]] parts in a sweeping composite body which betrays its origins on the track (the [[Maserati]] prototype didn’t even have a windscreen). As with all De Tomasos except the [[De Tomaso Pantera|Pantera]], production has been both small and sporadic.

In the early 2000s two other cars were planned by De Tomaso, but both proved abortive. A two-seat [[Marcello Gandini|Gandini]]-styled convertible, the [[De Tomaso Biguà|Biguà]], was developed from a 1996 [[Salon International de l'Auto|Geneva]] concept in partnership with [[Qvale]], an American firm which had long imported European sports cars into the USA. But as soon as the [[De Tomaso Biguà|Biguà]] – by now renamed the Mangusta – started coming off the assembly lines the relationship between De Tomaso and [[Qvale]] soured; [[Qvale]] took over the car completely and it was rebadged as the [[Qvale]] Mangusta. Despite taking the name of an illustrious De Tomaso of old, production was short-lived, and [[Qvale]]’s Italian factory was bought in 2003 by [[MG Rover]] and the [[De Tomaso Biguà|Biguà]]/Mangusta mechanicals used as the basis of the (equally short-lived) [[MG (car)|MG]] [[MG XPower SV|XPower SV]]. Subsequently, De Tomaso embarked on a project to build off-road vehicles in a new factory in Calabria in partnership with the Russian company [[UAZ]], but this too foundered. The deal was signed in April 2002, with a plan to build 10,000 cars a year by 2006: however, no cars materialised and De Tomaso went into voluntary liquidation in June 2004. [http://www.globalautoindex.com/maker.plt?no=1348] The [[De Tomaso Guarà|Guarà]] remained available in some markets in 2005 and 2006, but it appears that there were no cars built after 2004. [http://www.histomobile.com/1/De_Tomaso/1994/Guara_.htm?lan=1]

== De Tomaso luxury cars ==
Although car enthusiasts know De Tomaso principally as a maker of high-performance sports cars, the firm also produced luxury coupés and saloons – albeit in tiny numbers – throughout the 1970s and '80s.

The 1971 [[De Tomaso Deauville|Deauville]] was De Tomaso's attempt at a rival to contemporary [[Jaguar]] and [[Mercedes-Benz]] saloons. With the same engine as the [[De Tomaso Pantera|Pantera]] but mounted in the front, the [[De Tomaso Deauville|Deauville]] was clothed in an angular but elegant Tjaarda/[[Ghia]] four-door body which had more than a hint of the [[Jaguar XJ6]] about it, and came with the leather-and-air-con trim level that might be expected in such a car. The [[De Tomaso Deauville|Deauville]] did not have a hope of competing with its rivals, especially those from Germany, on the quality of its build, but it blew them out of the water on rarity-appeal – despite remaining on De Tomaso's books until 1985, only about 300 were ever made. The ultimate rare [[De Tomaso Deauville|Deauville]] is the single example of an estate, built for [[Alejandro de Tomaso]]'s wife, the American racing driver Isabelle Haskell.

1972 saw the introduction of a coupé based on the [[De Tomaso Deauville|Deauville]], the [[De Tomaso Longchamp|Longchamp]]. Mechanically this was essentially the same car – the [[De Tomaso Longchamp|Longchamp]] used a slightly shortened [[De Tomaso Deauville|Deauville]] chassis and had the same [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] V8 engine. The squarer, flatter body, however, was substantially different, without the [[De Tomaso Deauville|Deauville]]'s flowing lines.

In 1976, [[Alejandro de Tomaso]], with the assistance of the Italian government, took over [[Maserati]] after its owner [[Citroën]] (itself recently taken over by [[Peugeot]]) declared that it would no longer support the loss-making company. The first 'new' [[Maserati]] that the De Tomaso regime introduced, the [[Maserati Kyalami|Kyalami]], was in fact a mildly reskinned [[De Tomaso Longchamp|Longchamp]] with the [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] engine replaced by [[Maserati]]'s own 4.2-litre V8. The two cars, outwardly similar except for their badges, grilles and headlights, remained in production until 1983, when the [[Maserati Kyalami|Kyalami]] was superseded by the genuinely new [[Maserati]] [[Maserati Biturbo|Biturbo]], introduced two years earlier. The [[De Tomaso Longchamp|Longchamp]] trickled on until 1989. Just 395 [[De Tomaso Longchamp|Longchamp]] coupés and 14 convertibles were built.

== Car list ==
*[[De Tomaso Vallelunga|Vallelunga]]
*[[De Tomaso Mangusta|Mangusta]]
*[[De Tomaso Pantera|Pantera]]
*[[De Tomaso Deauville|Deauville]]
*[[De Tomaso Longchamp|Longchamp]]
*[[De Tomaso Guarà|Guarà]]
*[[De Tomaso Biguà|Biguà]]

== Prototypes ==
*[[De Tomaso Sport 1000|Sport 1000]]
*[[De Tomaso Sport 1500|Sport 1500]]
*[[De Tomaso Sport 2000|Sport 2000]]
*[[De Tomaso Sport 5000|Sport 5000]]
*[[De Tomaso Pampero|Pampero]]
*[[De Tomaso Monttella|Monttella]]

{{De Tomaso}}

== See also ==
* [[Alejandro de Tomaso]]
* [[Qvale]]

== External links ==
{{commonscat|De Tomaso vehicles}}
* [http://www.detomaso.it The De Tomaso official site]
* [http://www.detomaso.de DeTomaso Parts Center Europe]
* [http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/24/going-once-going-twice-going-anyone-detomaso-fails-to-se/ Going once, going twice.....going...anyone? DeTomaso fails to sell at auction]
* [http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1038676_fiat-exec-to-revive-de-tomaso-name-for-three-new-cars Fiat Exec To Revive De Tomaso Name For Three New Cars]
* [http://home.comcast.net/~parapantera/site/ Ron Hyde's De Tomaso cars page] has information on various De Tomaso cars, technical information, factory documents, and a small registry database.

[[Category:Makes]]
[[Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers of Italy]]
[[Category:Supercars]]
[[Category:Formula One constructors]]

Alejandro de Tomaso

2010-06-12T04:31:06Z

Parapantera:

'''Alejandro de Tomaso''' (born in Buenos Aires, July 10, 1928 - died in Modena, Italy, May 21, 2003) was a racing driver and industrialist from Argentina. His name is sometimes seen in an Italianised form as ''Alessandro de Tomaso''. He participated in two [[Formula One|Formula 1]] Grands Prix, debuting on January 13, 1957. He scored 0 championship points.

===Complete Formula One results===
{| border=1 cellspacing=0
! Yr
! Team
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! Team
|-
| [[1957 Formula One season|1957]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferr]]
| [[1957 Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]
| MON
| IND
| FRA
| GBR
| DEU
| PES
| ITA
|  
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferr]]
|-
| [[1959 Formula One season|1959]]
| [[Cooper Car Company|Coop]]
| MON
| IND
| DUT
| FRA
| GBR
| DEU
| POR
| ITA
| [[1959 United States Grand Prix|USA]]
| [[Cooper Car Company|Coop]]
|}

== De Tomaso the carmaker ==

Despite his [[Formula One|Formula 1]] career, de Tomaso was much more significant in the motoring world as a maker of cars. He founded the Italian sports car company [[De Tomaso|De Tomaso Automobili]] in 1959, and later built up a substantial business empire.

Born in Argentina of a prominent political family, de Tomaso fled to Italy – from where his paternal grandfather had emigrated – in his late twenties after being implicated in a plot to overthrow the Argentinian president, Juan Perón. He started his career in the car industry as a racing driver for [[Maserati]] and [[O.S.C.A.]] and married Isabelle Haskell, an American heiress who also raced cars.

In 1959 he founded the [[De Tomaso]] car company in Modena, originally to build prototypes and racing cars, which included a [[Formula One|Formula 1]] car for Frank Williams's team in 1970. De Tomaso then turned to high-performance sports cars, most of which used aluminium backbone [[chassis]], which were to become the company's technical trademark. [[De Tomaso]] cars include the two-door, mid-engined [[De Tomaso Vallelunga|Vallelunga]], [[De Tomaso Mangusta|Mangusta]] and [[De Tomaso Pantera|Pantera]]; the [[De Tomaso Deauville|Deauville]], a four-door saloon resembling the [[Jaguar XJ6]]; and the [[De Tomaso Longchamp|Longchamp]], a two-door coupé version of the [[De Tomaso Deauville|Deauville]] which later formed the basis of the [[Maserati]] [[Maserati Kyalami|Kyalami]]. [[De Tomaso]]'s most recent product has been the [[De Tomaso Guarà|Guarà]], a two-door sports car with a carbon fibre bodyshell.

During the 1960s and 1970s, de Tomaso acquired a number of Italian industrial holdings. As well as the [[Ghia]] and [[Vignale]] coachbuilding studios, he gained control of the Benelli and Moto Guzzi motorcycle firms, the [[Innocenti]] car company (founded as an offshoot of the [[British Motor Corporation]] to build [[Mini]]s in Italy), and, in 1975, the celebrated sports car maker [[Maserati]], which he rescued from bankruptcy with the assistance of the Italian government. Over time, however, he sold many of his holdings; [[Innocenti]] and [[Maserati]] were sold to [[Fiat]] (which promptly closed the former) in 1993.
De Tomaso suffered a stroke in 1993, and the day-to-day running of the [[De Tomaso]] company passed to his son Santiago.

Alejandro de Tomaso died in Italy in 2003.

==External Links==
* [http://home.comcast.net/~parapantera/site/ Ron Hyde's De Tomaso cars page] has information on various De Tomaso cars, technical information, factory documents, and a small registry database.

[[Category:Argentine Formula One drivers|De Tomaso, Alejandro]]
[[Category:Italian Formula One drivers|De Tomaso, Alejandro]]
[[Category:Ferrari Formula One drivers|De Tomaso, Alejandro]]
[[Category:Automotive company founders|De Tomaso, Alejandro]]

De Tomaso Mangusta

2010-06-12T04:27:41Z

Parapantera:

De Tomaso Pantera

2010-06-12T04:23:29Z

Parapantera:

{| border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 style="float:right; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:250px; background:#fff; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| colspan=2 style="padding:0; background:#996; color:#fff; border-bottom:1px solid #999;" | [[Image:Flyyellow.jpg|300px]]
|- style="color:#fff; background:#996; font-size:larger;"
! colspan=2 | '''De Tomaso Pantera'''
|-
! colspan=2 style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal; background:#ddb;" | [[De Tomaso]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| aka
|
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Production
| 1971-1996
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Class
| [[Supercar]]
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Body Style
| 2-door, 2-seat, [[MR layout|Mid-Engined]] Coupe Targa
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Length
| 158 in
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Width
| 67 in
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Height
| 43.4 in
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Wheelbase
| 98.4 in
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Weight
| 3123 lb (1971, curb) 3155 lb (1972) 3219 lb (1986 GT5-S) 3300 lb ('91 Pantera 2)
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Transmission
| [[ZF]] 5-speed manual transmission [[Getrag]] 6-speed manual transmission
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Engine
| 5.7 litre (351 in³) [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] ''[[Ford Cleveland engine#351|Cleveland]]'' [[V8]] 5.7 litre (351 in³) Windsor [[V8]] 5.0 liter (302 in³) Ford [[V8]]
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Power
| 330 hp (1971) 310 hp 380 lb-ft of [[torque]] @ 3400 rpm (1972) 305 hp 162.0 lb-ft of [[torque]] @ rpm ('91 Pantera 2)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Similar
| [[Maserati Bora]] [[BMW M1]] [[Lamborghini Countach]] [[Lamborghini Diablo]]
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Designer
| [[Tom Tjaarda]] of [[Ghia]] [[Giam Paolo Dallara]] (chassis and production) [[Marcello Gandini]] (90's facelift)
|}
The '''Pantera''' was a [[sportscar]] produced by the [[De Tomaso]] company of Italy from 1971 through 1996. The word "Pantera" is Latin for "Panther". The car was designed by famed stylist, [http://www.tom-tjaarda.net Tom Tjaarda] and replaced the [[De Tomaso Mangusta]]. Unlike the Mangusta, which employed a steel backbone [[chassis]], the Pantera was a steel [[monocoque]] design, the first instance of deTomaso using the construction technique.

The first 1971 Pantera was powered by a 351 in³ (5.8 L) [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] ''[[Ford Cleveland engine#351|Cleveland]]'' [[V8]] which produced 330 hp (246 kW). This was linked to a ZF five-speed [[manual transmission]]. Power-assisted four-wheel [[disc brake]]s and [[rack and pinion]] steering were also specified. The 1971 Pantera could accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.5 seconds according to ''Car and Driver''.

Late in 1971, [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] began importing Panteras for the American market to be sold through its [[Lincoln]] [[Mercury]] dealers. The first 75 cars were simply European imports and are known for their "push-button" door handles and hand-built [[Carrozzeria Vignale]] bodies. A total of 1,007 Panteras reached the United States that first year.

Several modifications were made for the 1972 model year. A new 4-bolt Cleveland engine was used with lower compression (from 11:1 to 8.6:1) but with more aggressive camshaft timing. Many changes were made internally, including the use of a factory [[Manifold (automotive engineering)|exhaust header]].

The "Lusso" (luxury) '''Pantera L''' was also introduced in 1972. It featured large black bumpers for the US market as well as a 248 hp (185 kW) Cleveland engine.

The 1974 '''Pantera GTS''' featured yet more luxury items and badging.

Ford ended their importation to the U.S. in 1975, having sold roughly 5,500 cars in the United States. de Tomaso continued to built the car, however, in ever-escalating forms of performance and luxury for more than a decade. A small number of Panteras were imported to the US by gray market importers in the 1980s, notably Panteramerica. In all, about 7,200 Panteras were built.

==Specifications==
1971 specifications:
* Engine: [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] 351 in³ (5.8 L) ''[[Ford Cleveland engine#351|Cleveland]]'' [[V8]]
* Power: 330 hp (246 kW)
* Curb weight: 3123 lb (1417 kg)
* Wheelbase: 98.4 in (2500 mm)
* Front track: 57.0 in (1448 mm)
* Rear track: 58.0 in (1473 mm)
* Length: 158.0 in (4013 mm)
* Width: 67.0 in (1702 mm)
* Height: 43.4 in (1102 mm)

==Photos==
<gallery>
Image:ElvisDeTomaso.jpg|De Tomaso Pantera, once owned by Elvis Presley
Image:Detomasopantera.jpg|A black Pantera
Image:Detomaso Pantera Interior376.jpg|1972 De Tomaso Pantera Interior
Image:19730D0TomasoPantera0interior.jpg|1973 De Tomaso Pantera Interior
Image:1975-DeTomaso-Pantera-GTS-Silver-Rear-st.jpg|1975 De Tomaso Pantera Rear
Image:1999 De Tomaso Pantera Concept Car.jpg|The 1999 Pantera concept car
</gallery>

{{De Tomaso}}

==Trivia==
*Elvis Presley once famously fired a gunshot at his Pantera after it wouldn't start up
*''Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo'' (1977) featured a Pantera II, driven by Frenchman Claude Gilbert (Mike Kulcsar) in the Trans-France Race. There were three other Panteras seen in this film. One was brown with few other decals besides a number 11 on hood and doors. A second Pantera was red with a black number 30 against a white square background. A third Pantera seen in the film was black with a number 10 on it. These other Panteras were not seen quite as often as Claude Gilbert's, however.
*Tim Horton, NHL player and doughnut shop magnate, was driving a Pantera when he lost control and was killed in 1974.
* A yellow [[Detomaso Pantera GTS]] was found in the original [[Gone in 60 seconds]] in 1974.
*Vince Neil, lead singer for Mötley Crüe was driving a Pantera when he caused the infamous accident that killed Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle (Nicholas Dingley) and injured two other people.
* Former ''Top Gear'' presenter Quentin Wilson severely damaged a Pantera when he lost control of it on Copse corner at Silverstone.
* A white GT5 rendered in a white background appears on the cover of the Japanese edition of ''R:Racing Evolution''.
* Later Panteras were known as bargain Countaches because of their similar add-on spoilers and wheel arches
Comprehensive list of DeTomaso and Pantera appearances in [http://www.banzairunnerpantera.com/movie_dtinfilm.htm Film, Television and Video].

==External Links==
* (August, 1971) ''Car and Driver''
* [http://augerresources.com/wiki Pantera Wiki]
* The [http://www.banzairunnerpantera.com/index.htm Banzai Runner Pantera website] - Features the Pantera used in the 1987 movie Banzai Runner, Pantera history, technical info, and the web's most complete list of [http://www.banzairunnerpantera.com/links.htm Pantera web links].
* [http://home.comcast.net/~parapantera/site/ Ron Hyde's De Tomaso cars page] has information on various De Tomaso cars, technical information, factory documents, and a small registry database.

[[Category:Supercars]]
[[Category:De Tomaso vehicles|Pantera]]
[[Category:MR layout vehicles]]