103 - Reading Glasses

Story of an Italian style legend

In the year 1959, Argentine racer Alejandro De Tomaso came to Modena to challenge Ferrari and Maserati, with the collaboration of great Piedmontese designers like Fissore, Giugiaro, and Vignale.

The first car produced was the famous Vallelunga, a Gran Turismo coupé of great aesthetic impact. In the following years, the Mangusta was born, crafted by the Ghia bodywork on Giugiaro's design. The car marked the beginning of collaboration with Ford America, supplying powerful V8 engines that allowed De Tomaso to compete with other Italian supercars of the time, notably Ferrari and Lamborghini. The Mangusta was succeeded by the legendary Pantera, which bestowed international prestige upon the company.

The oil crisis marked the decline of this model in the US market, but the unstoppable De Tomaso had already pioneered a new segment for the time: luxury sedans with high performance. This happened after De Tomaso acquired the Maserati brand, fresh from the Quattroporte project.

Thus were born the Logchamp and Deauville sedans, characterized, like all De Tomaso production, by a design of rare charm. Simultaneously with the production of luxury sedans, from 1976 to 1990, with a brilliant anticipation of the times, De Tomaso created the first city car with sporty performance, the Mini De Tomaso. From 1993 to 2004, the Guarà was produced, with a Ford V8 engine in three body variants: barchetta, coupé, and spyder.

At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the latest version of the Deauville super sedan was presented, in a modern crossover style.

De Tomaso's projects envisage the production of new exclusive high-end models with high performance, in line with the sporting tradition of this prestigious automotive brand. An example of style destined for enthusiasts of Italian design and the superior Italian quality that we also find today in the new reading and sunglasses signed De Tomaso.

The Italian Legend continues. And it renews itself...