With the De Tomaso P900, the old sports car manufacturer wants to get back into the racing business – at least to a certain extent. Because the hypercar unveiled on Tuesday has a naturally aspirated V12 engine with 900 hp and reaches up to 12,300 revolutions per minute. With a weight of 220 kilograms, the engine is said to be the lightest and smallest of its kind to date. At least that’s what the manufacturer says. The vehicle weighs 900 kilograms empty, so that every kilogram of vehicle weight equals one hp.
The P900 is not built for use on the road, but exclusively for the racetrack. According to a press release from the company, which was once founded by racing driver Alejandro de Tomaso, it is intended to commemorate the “romantic era of motorsport’s past”. De Tomaso has not yet given any other engine data, such as acceleration values and top speed.
While many vehicles – including sports cars – are now powered by an electric motor, the P900 relies on a combustion engine. It does without an emission-free drive, but is fueled with synthetic fuel. The built-in motor comes from Capricorn. The German automotive supplier has a lot of experience in motor sports and is known for its key role in the delivery of the Porsche 919 EVO racing car.
Visually, the P900 resembles a further development of the roadworthy P72 sports car, which is scheduled to go into production in 2023 – which in turn was inspired by the De Tomaso P70 racing car from 1965. The hypercar has taken over the headlights on the fenders and the glass hood from the road vehicle. The body, on the other hand, is mostly new: the bonnet has a new air intake, the front fenders are more pronounced and with integrated gills. The rear has changed particularly significantly. The vehicle has a large rear wing with active aero technology. The LED taillights have a round design and are connected to gold-colored, round tailpipes. There are no photos of the interior yet, so there has been no look at the vehicle interior so far.
The P900 is still in development, which, like the validation, is taking place at the Nürburgring. In the summer of 2023, the sports car will then be shown to the public and fully unveiled. Delivery of the strictly limited car, of which only 18 will be produced, is planned for the end of 2024. The price for the 900 hp vehicle is a whopping three million US dollars.
Before the hypercar is to be available from the very limited number of customers, an alternative with a V10 engine is still available. It comes from the 1997 Benetton B197 F1 single seater, a Formula 1 car with around 750 hp in racing.
Quellen: De Tomaso Automobiles, Carscoops
