De Tomaso Longchamp

The De Tomaso Longchamp was introduced at the 1972 Turin Motor Show as a 2+2 coupe. Designed by Tom Tjaarda of Ghia and powered by the same 351 cubic inch (5766cc) Ford Cleveland V8 from the Pantera, the Longchamp continued De Tomaso's tradition of Italian styled coachwork with American V8 grunt. The Longchamp produced 330bhp with a top speed of 149mph and featured a standard 3-speed cruise-o-matic automatic gearbox. However, 17 examples were offered with a 5-speed ZF manual gearbox. Suspension was independent front and rear with coil springs and steering was power assisted rack and pinion with vented disc brakes all round. A GTS variant was introduced at the 1980 Turin Motor Show that boasted wider wheels and wheel arches, uprated suspension and Campagnolo wheels. The Longchamp was marketed as a luxury grand tourer that unfortunately coincided with the 1973 oil crisis and suffered as a result. In total only 409 examples were manufactured, 14 of which were spiders, between 1972 and 1989.

This 1980 Longchamp has covered a believed genuine 7,500 kilometres from new and is one of only 17 original manual examples manufactured. For many years chassis number 02401 was part of the prestigious Auto & Technik Museum in Sinsheim, Germany. Evidently, the car has enjoyed a sheltered life and is described by the owner as having been restored at some point in its life but remaining in excellent condition. The De Tomaso Longchamp has enjoyed a recent surge in demand as fewer and fewer examples filter onto the open market.