The latest news in the never-ending saga of De Tomaso’s rebirth is its reported sale to a Swiss holding company that plans to bring a two-door, mid-engine sports car to market. Maybe something like the rendering above, which Henrik Fisker drew up late last year.
According to Auto Motor und Sport, L3 Holdings bought De Tomaso last week for $2.1 million, beating out rivals at Consolidate Ideal TeamVenture from China and the Eos Group from Italy. If L3 rings a bell, you’re a nerd, because it’s an arm of Genii Capital, which as Autoweek points out, is the company in charge of the Lotus Formula 1 team.
De Tomaso, who made everyone’s favorite ‘murican-powered wedge, has gone through a series of fits and starts since it was shuttered in the mid-2000s.
It was bought and sold before eventually winding up in the hands of former Fiat executive Gian Mario Rossignolo, who was later arrested for misusing over $9 million in public funds. Then last year, Automobili Turismo e Sport reportedly bought De Tomaso and trotted out a concept. Then, unsurprisingly, nothing.
Now that L3 has the reigns, it’s reportedly considering a new plant in Turin, Italy, with a workforce of 360 people cranking out 4,500 cars a year as early as 2021.
The first car is supposedly a mid-engined coupe, and that may be why Henrik Fisker was tapped to provide a design. But like every other claim at rebuilding the marque, you’ll need a mountain of salt to take it seriously.
Contact the author at damon@jalopnik.com.
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