Alejandro De Tomaso was born into a prominent Argentinian family, but eschewed the family business and turned his attentions to motor racing, becoming a leading feature in Italy’s automotive industry. De Tomaso’s first legitimate effort at a road car was the Mangusta, a Ford-powered mid-engined supercar with a Giorgio Giugiaro–designed body around a chassis by Bizzarrini. Five years later the De Tomaso Longchamp was exhibited at the 1972 Turin Motor Show, initially offered only as a two door, 2+2 coupé, developed from the De Tomaso Deauville four-door saloon, using a shorter-wheelbase chassis with the same suspension, engine, and transmission. The Longchamp featured a long bonnet to accommodate a 5.8-litre Ford Cleveland V-8 engine. A popular engine in late 1960s muscle cars, it produced 330 bhp, giving the Longchamp a top speed of 149 mph—hardly slow in the early ’70s. Suspension was independent front and rear, with coil spring and wishbones, aided by vented disc brakes all round. Given the years they were in production, it’s not surprising that many Longchamps were specified in colours that can now be described as ‘of the time’.
