De Tomaso, famed for making the Pantera, is back with the P72—an homage to 1960s prototypes with a modern twist. And like any good homage to old-school racers, it has a manual gearbox.
P72 is a limited run GT, only 72 will be built with a projected base price of EUR750,000 ($846,000). While the cars the inspired it were super hardcore racers, the P72 has been designed to be enjoyed by those who want comfort, but also speed, on the day to day.
The P72 on display is, stick fans, a manual. There are three pedals on the floor, though the final number of gears is as yet unknown.
When news of De Tomaso’s return surfaced coupled with a camo’d up car bearing the legend “#ProjectP” the world assumed a new Pantera was on the way, but that’s not the case. What the firm has released is a GT that shares its chassis with the Apollo IE and has name rooted in De Tomaso’s history.
Rather than launch something out of whack with what’s been before, De Tomaso is looking back in to the less well known chunks of its history. The P72 is based on a little-known prototype racer: P70.