After six years of silence and snobbish secrecy, De Tomaso is finally back – with the De Tomaso P72, the car James Bond would drive if he were a fan of manual transmissions and not gizmos.
If time could travel, I would De Tomaso P72 teleported straight from the golden age Le Mans into a futuristic paradise. But there is no CGI magic, but a brutal reality made of carbon and leather, driven with a manual transmission. Yes, you read that right – while Tesla dreams of an autonomous future, De Tomaso with the P72 celebrates an authentic driving experience that leaves you breathless (and without social media in the cabin).
De Tomaso The P72 is a visual homage to the 1965 P70, created in collaboration with the legendary Carroll Shelby. But the new model is more than just a retro backdrop – underneath it beats the heart of a modern Frankenstein: a 5.0-liter supercharged V8, perfected at Roush, which delivers 750 horsepower (552 kW) and 900 Nm of torque (664 lb-ft). Manual transmission. Rear-wheel drive. Everything you love, none of what bothers you.
Interior? The Orient Express cabin on steroids
Step inside the De Tomaso P72 and your jaw drops: a combination of snow-white hand-stitched leather, exposed carbon fiber, and hand-brushed rose gold aluminum switches. No screens. No Apple CarPlay. Just you, the steering wheel, and the whispering ghost of Carroll Shelby. Even the transmission is visible—literally. And you’ll be grateful it is.
Chassis from the space future
The chassis is made from a single piece of carbon fiber monocoque, without welding or gluing. Which means the P72 is not only light and stiff, but also a technical tool that cuts corners with pleasure. Suspension? Three-way manually adjustable. Ride settings? None. Your hands, your feet, your feel. This is not a car, this is a machine for pleasure.
Top speed? Who cares!
De Tomaso It doesn't even publish a top speed figure. Why? Because, honestly, if that's what you're interested in, you're missing the point. This isn't a car for racing Bugatti on the highway, it's a tool for lovers of mechanical sensibility and driving authenticity. 0-100 km/h? Estimated at around 3 seconds - fast enough to tie your tie during acceleration.
Price Elite: 1.6 million reasons not to have one
While there’s no official price, we know the P72 is priced around €1.6 million (£1.7 million). Yes, that’s the price for 72 hand-crafted pieces of automotive art. This isn’t a car for “influencers” on a lease – it’s the automotive equivalent of a limited-edition Rolex Daytona.
Conclusion: A car that should have been a movie
De Tomaso P72 is proof that there are still madmen with a vision. That you can still create something imperfect, handmade, mechanical – and that's why it's perfect. In an era when cars are becoming computers on wheels, the P72 is a machine you don't drive, you live.
And even though you'll probably never own it - no big deal. It's enough to know that it exists.
