de tomaso produces P72 sports car with handcrafted carbon shell

De Tomaso’s P72 sports car enters first production

De Tomaso unveils its first production-specification P72 sports car made with a handcrafted exterior carbon shell and buttermilk leather seats for the cabin. Throughout 2024, the company gives updates on the production of the P72 sports car, a model they’ve revealed before at the Goodwood Festival 2019. They operate the manufacturing in Affalterbach, Germany, where they first shared the monocoque design and suspension geometry. On December 17th, 2024, De Tomaso releases the shell of the P72 sports car, handcrafted from carbon fiber.

The cover follows the flowing and striking forms of the vehicle’s surface. Making the carbon shell handworked by artisans means the craftsmen are able to accentuate the lines and edges of the exterior casing. The results give the De Tomaso P72 a masterful and dark look on the outside while a softened style on the inside with the use of Buttermilk premium British leather for the seats. De Tomaso moves on to the painting process of the P72 sports car and says that they’re gearing up for the unveiling of the fully ready vehicle in the new year.

all images courtesy of De Tomaso Automobili

Timeline design updates of the vehicle before production

Before the first production-specification P72 sports car reaches its final stage, De Tomaso unveils a consistent series of updates for their vehicle’s making. The design team says the vehicle has zero connecting joints or adhesive bonding, reducing its weight, and that its unibody design merges the glasshouse and outer shells. They reduce the driver’s seating position to provide more legroom, as well as the sill height to make it easier for the user to enter and exit the sports car. They enlarge the rear crash structure to improve stiffness and add an additional low-impact retaining bar to protect the monocoque in case of a light collision.

De Tomaso’s team also upgrades the suspension bearings to fully sealed derivatives sourced from the latest GT4 race cars. Inside the P72 sports car, the design team draws inspiration from the company’s past use of gold and copper tones for the Campagnolo wheel sets. They collaborate with Bernd Kussmaul to create knobs, parts, and finishes of the interior from milled and refined aluminum. Each component is either bead-blasted, hand-brushed, or hand-polished, all finished in rose gold. In total, there are 192 individually milled components that make up a complete set throughout the production-specification P72 sports car.

view of the monocoque design and suspension geometry for the prototype

Analog instead of digital buttons for the interior

For the interiors of De Tomaso’s production-specification P72 sports car, the design team wraps the seats with Buttermilk-colored British leather. It’s the shade they applied to their classic models, so in a way, the reusing is a form of a tribute. The cream leatherwork complements the rose gold components, and in the cabin.

The design team only installs analog buttons and controls throughout the vehicle. After all these, De Tomaso subjects P72 to a full dry fit of all interior components before the body and powertrain come together. ‘It’s a painstaking process, but one that guarantees every element is meticulously positioned to elevate the driving experience,’ the team says. So far, De Tomaso expects to unveil the final design of the P72 sports car in the new year.

De Tomaso unveils its first production-specification P72 sports car