Reborn marque partners with Capricorn Group to build its 522kW V8-powered P72 in Europe.
Reborn supercar manufacturer De Tomaso will develop and produce its highly exclusive P72 supercar at a new, dedicated facility next to the Nürburgring.
The historic marque – which has been resurrected after going bankrupt in 2004 with backing from Hong Kong’s IdealVenture, responsible for the Apollo Intense Emozione hypercar – will open the new headquarters this summer as part of a fresh partnership with motorsport engineering firm Capricorn Group.
Construction on the facility is under way ahead of the P72 entering the final stages of development later this year and customer deliveries starting in the first half of 2023.
The mid-engined P72 broke cover at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2019. The Pagani Huayra rival is styled with heavy inspiration from 1960s Italian supercars and features high-quality materials and intricate design details in line with its limited build run and $1,000,000 (AUD$1,320,000) price.
The final product will retain the show car’s 522kW supercharged Ford V8 and six-speed manual gearbox, but the carbonfibre monocoque has been heavily revamped since 2019 and is now claimed to offer 100mm of extra leg room and 50mm more head room “without changing the exterior proportions of the vehicle”.
CEO Ryan Berris told us that “the powertrain has undergone extensive developments” but details of these modifications have not been made public.
The new chassis is claimed to boost safety credentials and quality standards (it meets FIA homologation requirements without the need for a roll cage) while revised suspension geometry brings the centre of gravity closer to the ground.
Production of the final P72 prototypes is progressing before new partner Capricorn begins building the 72 customer-bound cars – a build run that De Tomaso has no intention of extending.
Berris said: “We are fortunate and humbled to have been oversubscribed for the P72 and to be able to vet who is granted a final allocation.”
Production was initially set to take place in the US, but De Tomaso says pandemic-related obstructions there prevented it from meeting its targeted deadlines. Although it has signed a new agreement with Capricorn to bring the car to market, it says it will retain its existing “US partners, facilities, powertrain operations and initiative to expand our North American presence”.
Capricorn will be responsible for development of composites, chassis, suspension and castings, as well as overall P72 production.
Norman Choi, chairman of the De Tomaso brand, said: “Since our revival of De Tomaso, there has been a large focus on the P72 and its development programme, which is progressing very well.
“In addition, we have been making extensive progress on our business development, setting a strong foundation for our future expansion of De Tomaso. Today we are proud to announce a new strategic partnership which reaffirms our philosophy, strengthens our core competencies and ensures the highest level of quality for our future offerings.
“Our P72 will not only be developed on, but also produced at the legendary Nürburgring, providing unrivalled experience, quality and value for our clients.”
Following the launch of the P72, De Tomaso will begin detailing a follow-up model, which is already in development. Asked if it could adopt an electrified powertrain, Berris told us: “We are certainly mindful of the future of mobility and are pre-planning accordingly.
“Whilst we remain focused on ICE-powered vehicles and synthetic fuels, when the time comes to execute and implement alternative powertrain solutions, we will have all the mature ingredients in place and do so in a manner the stays true to the spirt, essence and ethos of De Tomaso.”
Felix Page