The De Tomaso Guarà was a sports car presented at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show and the last project that founder Alejandro de Tomaso brought to market. It began as a coupé, later gained a roadster and an open barchetta version, and was built in about 52 examples with a BMW or a Ford V8.
De Tomaso Guarà at a glance
| Maker | De Tomaso, Modena |
|---|---|
| Presented | 1993 Geneva Motor Show |
| First cars sold | 1994 |
| Designer | Carlo Gaino, Synthesis Design |
| Based on | Maserati Barchetta Stradale prototype of 1991 |
| Body | fibreglass and Kevlar composites on an aluminium backbone chassis |
| Engine, early | 4.0-litre BMW M60 V8, 286 or 305 PS |
| Engine, later | 4.6-litre Ford Mustang Cobra V8, 305 PS |
| Gearbox | six-speed Getrag manual with gated shifter |
| Dry weight | 1,200 kg |
| 0–100 km/h | 5.0 seconds claimed |
| Built | about 52 cars |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Guarà.
History of the De Tomaso Guarà
From Maserati
The Guarà was based on the Maserati Barchetta Stradale prototype of 1991, which was meant to be the road-legal version of the track-only Barchetta. Fiat’s takeover of Maserati stopped that plan, because the new owner ended Barchetta production, so the car was built by De Tomaso instead and named Guarà. It was designed by Carlo Gaino of Synthesis Design, who had also designed the Maserati Barchetta.
Production
The first cars, mainly coupés, were sold in 1994. With interruptions the coupé and the barchetta remained available, on payment in full in advance, until 2005 and 2006 in Italy, Austria and Switzerland, although it seems no cars were built after 2004 when the company went into liquidation. The last car, ordered by an Austrian customer in 2004, was delivered in 2011 after the liquidation was completed. Sources vary, but approximately 52 cars were built in total: ten open-top barchettas, three or four spyders with a folding soft top and 38 coupés. The spyders were converted from coupés by Carrozzeria AutoSport S.r.L.; the first was completed in 1999 to the specification of a German industrial designer who disliked the standard interior and did not want a fixed roof. When De Tomaso switched to the Ford engine no more spyders could be built, as the bulkier American powertrain did not fit.
Chassis and suspension
The body shell was made of fibreglass, Kevlar and other composites and fitted to an aluminium backbone chassis. The suspension followed Formula 1 and IndyCar practice, with independent upper and lower wishbones, pushrods at both ends and rose joints, designed by the Formula 1 engineer Enrique Scalabroni. The Guarà was known for very agile handling, a little too nervous for the average driver, and had no luggage space at all because the area under the front was taken by the racing-style suspension. The large, distinctive wheels were made by Marchesini.
Engines
Early cars used the 4.0-litre BMW M60 V8 shared with the BMW 840Ci, because Ford could not supply engines at the time. De Tomaso modified the engine, including different accessory belt routing, and it produced 286 or 305 PS depending on tune. A six-speed Getrag manual gearbox with a gated shifter drove the rear wheels, and the engine red-lined at 7,000 rpm. Later cars switched to the 4.6-litre cast-iron block V8 from the Mustang Cobra, rated at 305 PS, after BMW phased out the M60. The Brembo brakes were not servo-assisted and were similar to those of the Ferrari F40. Like its predecessors the Guarà had no power steering. The interior was leather-trimmed with racing bucket seats and an optional six-point harness, and most interior components came from BMW. Dry weight was 1,200 kg, giving 236 PS per tonne with the BMW engine; the claimed acceleration to 100 km/h was 5.0 seconds and the claimed top speed 274 km/h.
Design and features
- Composite body: fibreglass and Kevlar panels on an aluminium backbone chassis.
- Race-derived suspension: pushrod wishbones with rose joints by Enrique Scalabroni.
- BMW then Ford power: a 4.0 M60 V8 followed by the Mustang Cobra 4.6.
- No compromise: no power steering and no luggage space at all.
- Three body styles: coupé, spyder and open barchetta.
De Tomaso Guarà versions
- Coupé: the original body style, 38 built.
- Barchetta: open car without a proper windscreen, ten built.
- Spyder: roadster with a folding soft top, three or four converted by AutoSport.
- BMW-engined cars: early examples with the 4.0-litre M60 V8.
- Ford-engined cars: later examples with the 4.6-litre Mustang Cobra V8.
The Guarà followed the Pantera and the Longchamp in the De Tomaso range. More De Tomasos are in the De Tomaso collection.
Video: 16x De Tomaso LAUNCHES! Guarà, Pantera & Longchamp SOUND
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- De Tomaso Guarà, English Wikipedia: development, production, body styles, chassis, engines, performance
