aspirated V12 ‘de tomaso P900’ hypercar
De Tomaso Automobili unveils the car concept of its debut track-only vehicle, the P900 (named after its total dry weight), a naturally aspirated V12 hypercar limited to 18 units globally. Designed by Jowyn Wong, the man behind Apollo IE and De Tomaso P72, the car design of the two-seater P900 oozes De Tomaso’s signatures with its sharp lines, swooping curves, and race-focused exterior and interior.
Wong shares that the design team has spent their time overhauling the visual queues of the P72 into the performance-focused P900. ‘The result, we feel, is a car that is evidently aggressive by nature yet still romantic, invoking the emotions of 60’s or 70’s Le Mans Prototypes while maintaining a distinctive design language,’ he adds in the news release.
images courtesy of De Tomaso Automobili (shared with designboom)
The 18 exclusive owners of De Tomaso P900 are bound to enjoy the vehicle’s power driven through the rear wheels with a sequential gearbox at the heart of the car and a full carbon fiber exterior body and chassis. The car manufacturer’s lips are sealed about the full performance figures and details of the P900. It states that this info will only be available to selected people, including the owners.
Unlike its predecessor, the P72, De Tomaso P900 whips up a full redesign with its all-carbon chassis system. Its stressed engine helps the P900 gain a weight of around 900 kilos with a projected power figure of 900 horsepower. De Tomaso also underlines that the aerodynamics of the vehicle have been precisely tuned by a Formula-One racing team who left ample room for the design team to play with the exterior styling.
rear view
While De Tomaso acknowledges the future of electric vehicle technology, their focus remains on creatinglong-lasting aspirated, internal combustion engines. Their answer to companies electrifying their cars isn’t to turn De Tomaso P900 into an electric automobile, but to give it a 12-cylinder platform that can be run solely on synthetic fuel.
De Tomaso CEO Norman Choi comments in a news release that the company believes that alternatives exist, but that the development of its new platform, driven by synthetic fuels, is its solution for keeping its passion for combustion engines alive. ‘This venture into synthetic fuels, represents our commitment to the pursuit of a zero-emissions mobility future without sacrificing the crucial element which we all hold so dear – the soul and symphony of an engine,’ he adds.
aerial view
De Tomaso Automobili has brought together a cohort of leading motorsports specialists from Formula One, endurance racing, and aerodynamic development. De Tomaso P900 is set to launch in the second quarter of 2023 while the car company will continue the vehicle’s powertrain development until late 2024.
rear view