De Tomaso is moving all operations stateside, and it’s on a mission
De Tomaso announced earlier today that the Italian-Argentine-American firm is bringing all of its operations to the U.S. The move, dubbed Mission AAR (American Automotive Renaissance) is described by the company as an attempt to “restore the romance, beauty, passion, and elegance in the luxury American automotive industry.”
Clearly, De Tomaso’s ready to preach some hot automotive gospel.
According to the announcement, De Tomaso can no longer wait for the American automobile industry to recapture its glory days of the 1920s–60s, so it’s pulling everything stateside to lead the charge itself. That’s a lofty goal, and the “glory days” might be subjective, but we won’t argue with prestigious automakers that want to move to the U.S. De Tomaso already has historical tie-ins with some of the greatest names in American automotive history: Peter Brock, Lee Iacocca, Carroll Shelby, and Tom Tjaarda, to name a few. It’s no featherweight name.
The company will relocate all production, design, and corporate facilities across the Atlantic from Europe. No formal destination has been announced yet, but we can expect a final decision in the next six months. The move brings a swell of job opportunities for car folks looking to refine and develop their skills—talents that, De Tomaso says, are currently lagging behind those within the European luxury automotive industry.
Which cars will De Tomaso use to forcibly resurrect American automotive passion? The firm’s latest creation, the P72, is a drop-dead gorgeous sports car that debuted at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed. If De Tomaso wants this swooping, curvaceous car to come to life at the hands of American craftsman, we’re more than here for that. The P72 is powered by a Roush-tuned 5.0-liter supercharged V-8, utilizing Blue Oval power like its predecessor, the Pantera. Expect north of 700 horsepower and a six-speed manual transmission.
Whether or not the move becomes a world-changer depends on your view of the luxury automotive landscape. At the end of the day, an automaker setting sail for U.S. shores is welcome news—whether it makes 10 million useful cars or 10 cars that take our breath away.
