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1963 DeTomaso Vallelunga news, pictures, and information | ||
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Rolled out in 1964, Vallelunga was the product of the experience due to races. Its central backbone chassis is the main element. The first spider, a sort of barchetta, appeared on De Tomaso stand at Turin Motorshow in 1963. Alejandro De Tomaso originally planned to build the car in aluminium, so the first three were built like that by Fissore. But then he yanked the contract away from them, awarding it to Ghia Carrozzeria in Turin, a very important name in De Tomaso history.
A change of strategy occurred, and in particular there was a switch from body materials to fiberglass, and a switch in styling in order to have only a glass hatchback provide access to the engine access. The engine, the same used in Ford Cortina, was a 1500 cc Ford - 104 hp -, that could be tuned to produce as much as 135 hp. The VW gearbox, modified in five-speed version at De Tomaso, and the brakes by Campagnolo made Vallelunga definitely aggressive. Because of the slow start-up in production, the car was never manufactured in sufficient numbers in one year (minimum 50 vehicles) to be homologated as a production car by the FIA.
The attendances of De Tomaso cars in competitions were occasional and results were sometimes hardly decipherable.
Together wîth the technical aspect (central backbone chassis was revolutionary itself), Vallelunga proposed a rare grace and beauty design. Looking back, this vehicle makes more sense today than it did at that time. 56 vehicles of one of the most beautiful cars of those years have been produced, thus starting an industrial production followed by Mangusta.Source - DeTomaso Moden S.p.A.
A change of strategy occurred, and in particular there was a switch from body materials to fiberglass, and a switch in styling in order to have only a glass hatchback provide access to the engine access. The engine, the same used in Ford Cortina, was a 1500 cc Ford - 104 hp -, that could be tuned to produce as much as 135 hp. The VW gearbox, modified in five-speed version at De Tomaso, and the brakes by Campagnolo made Vallelunga definitely aggressive. Because of the slow start-up in production, the car was never manufactured in sufficient numbers in one year (minimum 50 vehicles) to be homologated as a production car by the FIA.
The attendances of De Tomaso cars in competitions were occasional and results were sometimes hardly decipherable.
Together wîth the technical aspect (central backbone chassis was revolutionary itself), Vallelunga proposed a rare grace and beauty design. Looking back, this vehicle makes more sense today than it did at that time. 56 vehicles of one of the most beautiful cars of those years have been produced, thus starting an industrial production followed by Mangusta.Source - DeTomaso Moden S.p.A.
The DeTomaso was introduced in the early 1960s and produced until 1968. It was an exotic, mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car that was based on a roadster designed by Carrozzeria Fissore. It was named after the Autodromo di Vallelunga first shown as a concept car at the Turin Motor Show in 1964. DeTomaso planned to sell the design of the concept to another automaker but an interested party could not be found. As a result, DeTomaso undertook the project with the vehicle assembly outsourced to Ghia.
The Vallelunga was powered by a 1.5L four-cylinder Kent engine sourced from the Ford Cortina. It produced just over 100 horsepower. The chassis was a pressed steel backbone with tubular subframes. A Volkswagen Beetle transaxle was used and fitted with Hewland gearsets. The entire package was clothed in a fiberglass body along with many drilled aluminum parts. At all four corners were disc brakes.
Only 53 production examples were produced (a total of 58 examples when including the prototypes and race cars). Production ceased before the vehicles problems could be resolved, such as quieting the noisy, high-torque engine or working out the drive train vibration issues. It was replaced by the DeTomsao Mangusta which used a modified Vallelunga chassis and powered by a Ford Boss 302 motor.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2011
For more information and related vehicles, click hereThe Vallelunga was powered by a 1.5L four-cylinder Kent engine sourced from the Ford Cortina. It produced just over 100 horsepower. The chassis was a pressed steel backbone with tubular subframes. A Volkswagen Beetle transaxle was used and fitted with Hewland gearsets. The entire package was clothed in a fiberglass body along with many drilled aluminum parts. At all four corners were disc brakes.
Only 53 production examples were produced (a total of 58 examples when including the prototypes and race cars). Production ceased before the vehicles problems could be resolved, such as quieting the noisy, high-torque engine or working out the drive train vibration issues. It was replaced by the DeTomsao Mangusta which used a modified Vallelunga chassis and powered by a Ford Boss 302 motor.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2011
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| DeTomaso: 1961-1970 |
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