Here she is the first De Tomaso's road car model, the Vallelunga
The FIRST De Tomaso Automobili, an Italian automotive company founded by Alejandro De Tomaso in 1959 which is famous for the exotic sportscar productions. Since operating in the early 1960s, it has been noted that many sports cars have been produced.
And some time ago we discussed several cars made by De Tomaso Automobili, ranging from the classics like De Tomaso Mangusta, Pantera and others to the newest ones like the De Tomaso P72.
1964 De Tomaso Vallelunga sports car was the first De Tomaso's road car model. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2M6J39m)
So, on this occasion we will discuss one of the company made sportscars called De Tomaso Vallelunga which later became the famous Mangusta model base. The De Tomaso Vallelunga was a mid-engined sports car model manufactured from 1964 to 1968, and also said the first road car ever produced by those Modena-based automotive company.
1964 De Tomaso Vallelunga sports car is shown as a concept car at the Turin Motor Show in 1963. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2M6J39m)
As for the sportscar's name is adopted from an Italian famous racing circuit, namely the Autodromo di Vallelunga and was built based on the roadster designed by Carrozzeria Fissore. The sportscar was first shown as a concept at the 1963 Turin Motor Show.
1964 De Tomaso Vallelunga sports car's interior. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2M6J39m)
De Tomaso Vallelunga is equipped with a 1,593 cc inline 4-cylinder Kent engine which was adopted from the Ford Cortina. The machine is capable of spewing power up to 104 hp (78 kW) at 6,200 rpm which is supported by the VW Beetle's transaxle and Hewland's gearsets.
1964 De Tomaso Vallelunga sports cara 1,593 cc inline 4-cylinder Kent engine, and capable of spewing power up to 104 hp (78 kW) at 6,200 rpm. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2M6J39m)
Furthermore, the Vallelunga is built on a pressed steel backbone chassis construction with a tubular sub-frame at the back. Its suspension system uses double wishbone and coil springs at all four corners, coupled with the front and rear anti-roll bars adopted from Triumph cars.
1964 De Tomaso Vallelunga sports car is built on a pressed steel backbone chassis construction with a tubular sub-frame at the back. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2M6J39m)
This sports car stature is considered as 'small' with curb-weighed only 726 kg (1,600 lbs). In general, the De Tomaso Vallelunga's bodywork is made of fiberglass and many drilled aluminium parts. The car is so light, made it can be driven up to a maximum speed of 112 mph or around 180 kph, while for the braking system, the Vallelunga already adopts an all-round disc type on its 4 wheels.
The Vallelunga known built as much as 50 units in the four years since the 1964, along with three aluminum prototypes and five racing cars, so in the total up to 58 units by the end of its production period in the 1968.
As previously mentioned, Vallelunga was later used as the basis for the renowned De Tomaso Mangusta sports car which was significantly re-engineered to adopt the Ford 302 engine, and then was elegantly integrated with the Giorgetto Giugiaro made bodywork. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | DE TOMASO AUTOMOBILI | WIKIPEDIA ]
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