De Tomaso Pantera
The legendary Italian marque De Tomaso may be revived if former Fiat exec Gian Mario Rossignolo is successful with his plans. In 2003, MG took over the label to secure a production facility for a new sports car but the plans went bust and Tomaso closed its doors just one year later.
Rossignolo recently purchased the Tomaso name to build three new aluminum cars, with numbers expected to top 8,000 units. The range will include a crossover, a luxury sedan and a new coupe.
The cars will use an advanced aluminum construction technique called Univis, which requires just about 30 dies to build a vehicle. Production will take place in part of Pininfarina's factory in Grugliasco, in the western outskirts of Turin.
The first model is expected to debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
Tomaso is mostly recognized for its Pantera supercar (pictured). The unique vehicle was a sports car that was built by Tomaso from 1971 to 1996 and featured a steel monocoque chassis and a 330 horsepower 5.7-liter Ford Cleveland V-8 engine mated to a ZF five-speed manual. The cars were sold in the U.S. by Ford through its Lincoln dealers and one was even sold to Elvis Presley.
[AutoWeek]
