When Alejandro de Tomaso ventured into road car production as a means to fund his racing efforts, his project took the name of the Roman racetrack where he’d enjoyed early success. The mid-engine Vallelunga, the automaker’s first production car, was aptly named, as it was a thinly disguised Formula 3 car for the street. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and manufactured by Ghia, the fiberglass body mated to a pressed-steel backbone chassis employed much of De Tomaso’s racing suspension technology. Paired with the venerable Ford “Kent” engine mounted midships, it produced impressive handling and would influence a generation of sports car design.

The Vallelunga offered here, chassis 126, was purchased by the president of the Swiss De Tomaso Owners’ Club in 1993 showing only 22,000 km. A high-quality concours restoration was performed which exceeded 2,000 hours. The effort was rewarded with a Second in Class at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2004. Since then, this Vallelunga has appeared in many motoring publications worldwide, including Motor Klassik (June 2004), Pantera International (fall 2004), and Auto Italia (December 2005). Included with the car are receipts and restoration photos.

Benefiting from an uprated motor, this stunning example of De Tomaso’s inaugural road car is both a rewarding driver and concours-proven exhibitor, and may well be the finest specimen of its type available.