The De Tomaso Vallelunga is a mid-engine sports car produced from 1964 until 1967. It was the first road going automobile manufactured by the company.
History
The prototype has a backbone chassis with stressed member engine and formula car suspension in a barchetta body constructed in Modena. Named the Vallelunga 1500 after the Autodromo di Vallelunga racing circuit, it was shown by De Tomaso at the Turin Auto Show in 1963 and subsequently raced. Advertised in a prospectus as a Spider with weather equipment, Alejandro de Tomaso hoped to sell the concept to another company, but when there were no takers he commissioned Carrozzeria Fissore to build a new aluminum body on his rolling chassis. Fissore presented the resulting coupé styled by its young design chief Franco Maina at the Turin show in November 1964. As many as fifteen were built,[1] the last few of which, unclaimed by De Tomaso, were scrapped by the coachbuilder.[2]