De Tomaso Guara Spider, 1994
Chassis No.: ZDT8950000AB00019 Not Sold German registration title Chassis n°ZDT8950000AB00019 Confidential production, very rare Spider version Advanced technology derived from F1, Kevlar bodywork Powerful and easy BMW engine Incredible youngtimer, unique configuration Last De Tomaso built The innumerable Argentinean driver and businessman Alejandro de Tomaso founded his own brand in Italy in 1959. Associated with Ford, he produced his first road car, the Vallelunga, in 1964. It will be followed by the wicked Pantera and inimitable Mangusta, and more placid Deauville. Alejandro de Tomaso will make, with the purchase of Innocenti and Maserati, and his motorcycle adventure (purchase of Benelli and Moto Guzzi) bad business. At the beginning of the 1990s, the Guarà embodies the song of the brand’s sign, intimately linked to the glory and decadence of its founder. With its central beam chassis with tunnel based on that of the very successful Maserati Barchetta Trofeo of 1991 (launched during the De Tomaso era), and stiffened (aluminum honeycomb), its suspension developed by Formula 1 engineer Enrique Scalabroni, its Kevlar bodywork and its BMW V8 4-liter type M60B40 engine developing 286 hp, the new De Tomaso supercar, developed by Carlo Gaino, of Synthesis Design, looks great. Not to mention its exceptional measurements: 2.61 m wheelbase, 4.19 m long and over 2 m wide. Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 1993 and available from 1994 for the equivalent of €145,000, the Guarà rivaled the Ferrari 348 and the Lamborghini Diablo. No less! In 1998, Alejandro de Tomaso swapped the BMW V8 for a 320 hp Ford V8, renewing a historic partnership with the Detroit giant. In addition, he offers a Barchetta version, a Spider convertible and even a Targa roof for the coupe! But sales did not take off... In 2003, the whimsical Argentine businessman born in 1928 died and a year later, the firm filed for bankruptcy. The Guarà, the last model of the brand, closes the saga, after about fifty examples built. The very last car, ordered by an Austrian in 2004, was delivered only in 2011 after the liquidation of De Tomaso... Of the total production, we know that 38 were coupes, and 10 were Barchettas. As for the Spider, the rarest version, it would have been produced only 2, 3 or 4 examples according to sources, modified from BMW-engined coupes by Carrozzeria AutoSport S.r.L. This is the case of this example, which was developed on the basis of the 19th Guarà built. It was bought directly from the De Tomaso factory in 1998, through the German distributor Armin Fischer, by an amateur who kept it for 20 years. In the car’s file there is a letter from the factory, authorizing Armin Fischer to transform the Coupé chassis numbers 19 and 20 into a Spider. The original buyer of chassis 19 asked for a purple metallic paint, a luggage space in the back or a power steering... With a little less than 15,000km since leaving the fac - tory, this car is still in a stunning condition. It is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular Guaràs in existence and is an integral part of De Tomaso history. Definitely a must have for the demanding collectors of extraordinary youngtimers. https://www.aguttes.com/lot/123086/37647a43-622b-4ee9-86fc-2787f749967d
