Why Not The De Tomaso Longchamp?

by Mike Gulett –

Alejandro de Tomaso was Argentinean but his cars were Italian with American power and oh, some of his cars were styled by an American working for an Italian design firm. Got it?

When I think of De Tomaso I think of beautiful, exotic mid-engined Italian sports cars with powerful Ford V8 engines. The most successful being the Pantera with about 7,260 made, most originally sold in the US. The style was by American Tom Tjaarda of Ghia.

The most beautiful De Tomaso, in my opinion, is the Mangusta with 401 produced between 1967 and 1971. The styling was by Giorgetto Giugiaro also with Ghia at the time. The Mangusta has a reputation for being a difficult car to drive and live with but that is beside the point for this story. My point is that when most of us think about De Tomaso we think either Pantera or Mangusta (maybe some think about the Vallelunga but not too many).

De Tomaso Longchamp Series 1

De Tomaso Longchamp Series 2 GTS

We usually do not think about the De Tomaso Longchamp (a 2+2 coupe based on the Deauville 4-door sedan) or even less so about the Deauville itself. The Longchamp was introduced at the Turin Motor Show in 1972 and there were 395 Longchamp coupes and 14 convertibles made between 1972 and 1989. Tom Tjaarda of Ghia also styled both the Longchamp and the Deauville. The convertibles were modified by the Italian company Carrozerria Pavesi.

The engine is the powerful Ford 351 Cleveland V8 as used in the Pantera. The standard transmission is a 3-speed Ford C-6 Cruise-o-Matic automatic. There were about 17 Longchamps that were equipped with a 5-speed ZF manual. The Longchamp has independent front and rear suspension and vented disc brakes with the rear being inboard plus power assisted steering. It seems both comfort and performance were part of the package.

The Longchamp GTS was introduced at the 1980 Turin Motor Show. The GTS had wider wheels with flared wheel arches and minor suspension differences to utilize the wider Campagnolo wheels with Pirelli P7 tires.

I ask why not think about the Longchamp if you are interested in a classic Italian 2+2 coupe with a powerful American V8 placed in the front?

The Longchamp reminds me of the Iso Rivolta GT. It is the same formula; Italian Style 2+2 coupe with American power. In the case of the Iso Rivolta the style is by Giugiaro when he was with Bertone, the power is from the Corvette 327 cid placed up front.

The De Tomaso Longchamp is an update of the successful Iso formula coming along about 10 years after the Iso Rivolta. The age difference is reflected in the body style with the Rivolta being smooth and rounded and the Longchamp being angular and sharp edged (see the slide show comparison below). There were about half the number of Longchamps made as the Iso Rivolta (409 Longchamps to 799 Iso Rivoltas). Most Longchamps were equipped with automatic transmissions while most Iso Rivoltas had manual transmissions.

The Longchamp is rare in the US because it was not sold in the US originally like the Iso Rivolta. Based on the numbers produced one would think there are fewer Longchamps than Iso Rivoltas left on the road. But I am not so sure.

What do you Iso lovers think of the De Tomaso Longchamp as an alternative to the Iso Rivolta GT?

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

The slide show below compares the Longchamp to the Iso Rivolta body style.

[Show as slideshow]