1967 De Tomaso Vallelunga

De Tomaso’s first production car, the Vallelunga, is the link between the company’s later higher-volume, mid-engine exotics and the low-volume racing cars that came before. Argentine Alejandro De Tomaso founded his eponymous car company in Modena, Italy, in 1959 and initially produced open-wheel race cars conforming to Formula 1, 2, 3, and Junior specifications. They were not terribly successful in competition, partly because De Tomaso preferred spending time on new projects rather than developing existing ones to championship-winning levels.

Without cashflow from consistent race wins, De Tomaso turned his attention to road-going sports cars. The Vallelunga appeared in concept form as an open car at the 1963 Torino Motor Show, with the coupe version following a year later. Both were bodied in aluminum by Fissore, and De Tomaso’s intent was to sell the project to another manufacturer to produce. When no buyer appeared, he decided to build it himself, and contracted Carrozzeria Ghia (which he bought in 1967) to produce bodies in fiberglass.

Under the skin, the Vallelunga was extremely modern, with technical specifications remarkably similar to those of De Tomaso’s race cars. The Ford Kent engine was longitudinally mounted amidships and backed by a Hewland transaxle, which together served as a stressed member to which the suspension mounted. Coil springs with concentric dampers paired with double wishbones at the front, and a lower wishbone with single upper link at the rear. Steering was by rack and pinion, and four-wheel disc brakes were fitted. All of this was affixed to a backbone chassis, and the completed car weighed just 1,600 pounds.

When it went on sale in July 1965, the Vallelunga became one of the first mid-engine production cars, predating even the Miura. Ultimately, around 50 examples were made. This example is one of a small number originally sold in the US, having been purchased new by entertainer Dean Martin for his son Ricci in 1967. The car remained with the Martin family in Beverly Hills into the 1970s, during which time Ricci’s brother swerved to avoid a car backing out of a driveway on Woodland Drive and hit a lamppost. The car was restored by a subsequent owner in San Jose, California around 1980, and then returned to a Southern California owner in the 1990s, from whom the current owner purchased it.

He commissioned an extensive six-year restoration by D&D Classic Automobile Restoration of Covington, Ohio, which totaled more than $600,000. The body and chassis were separated and each was restored to the highest possible standard. The driveline was rebuilt, as were the fuel, cooling, braking, and suspension systems. A buck was built to fabricate a new front clip for the body to correct the previous lamppost-related repairs to the front end. The work is extensively documented with hundreds of pages of invoices and photographs.

The car has yet to be shown publicly since its completion and thus represents an exciting opportunity for the new owner to debut the car. ‌ The exceptional quality of its restoration, coupled with its noteworthy history, make this 1967 De Tomaso Vallelunga undoubtedly one of the finest examples of these rare cars in existence.