De Tomaso goes into liquidation

The Pantera resulted in the acquisition of De Tomaso by Ford, which was seeking a rival to GM's Chevrolet Corvette. The 1970 F1 chassis was powered by Ford's Cosworth DFV, but the project was discontinued at the end of that season.

The US company pulled out in 1973, after which De Tomaso acquired the Moto Guzzi and Innocenti brands, and later (in 1975) Maserati. It was De Tomaso which entered the famous Italian brand's Biturbo model in the one-off 1987 FIA World Touring Car Championship.

The De Tomaso workforce had now expanded to 5000 people, but Innocenti was sold to Fiat in 1989, followed by Maserati in 1993. Later De Tomaso production was centred on the Guara model range. A new model using the Mangusta name is now produced under the Qvale brand, through its Italian operation, Qvale Modena.

The company's founder, Argentine-born Alejandro De Tomaso, died earlier this year after a stroke forced his retirement a decade ago. In recent years, De Tomaso's staff under MD Mark Berti has shrunk to 30, who are currently engaged in a joint project with Russian company UAZ to build a low-cost 4WD SUV called the Simbir. It is due to go into production next year at a new factory in Calabria.