Comparison between the front end of the De Tomaso Longchamp (top) and Maserati Kyalami (bottom).
The Longchamp was derived from the De Tomaso Deauville four-door saloon, using a shorter wheelbase chassis with the same suspension, engine and transmission. The same platform underpinned the Maserati Kyalami grand tourer and the Maserati Quattroporte III saloon as Maserati was owned by De Tomaso at the time. The Deauville and the Longchamp were the only front engine production cars produced by De Tomaso. The Longchamp was first exhibited at the 1972 Turin Motor Show[2] and was initially offered only as a 2-door 2+2coupé. It was designed by Tom Tjaarda of Ghia and was influenced by his previous Lancia Marica prototype. The taillights were the same units as were used for the Alfa Romeo 1750/2000 saloon.[3] The headlights and front indicators are from the Ford Consul/Granada. The name Longchamp is likely a reference to the Longchamp Racecourse in Paris and/or Longchamps, Buenos Aires, a city near de Tomaso company founder Alejandro de Tomaso's birthplace.
The Longchamp featured a long and wide hood to accommodate the American power train, i.e. the 351 cubic inch (5,769 cc) Ford Cleveland V8.[4] The 351 Cleveland, a popular and very potent engine in early 1970s Ford muscle cars, was the same unit used in the Pantera. It was rated at a power output of 335 PS (246 kW; 330 hp) and gave the Longchamp an official top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph). After Ford stopped manufacturing the 351 Cleveland V8 in the US, De Tomaso sourced the engines from Ford Australia. The standard gearbox was a three-speed Ford C-6 Cruise-o-Maticautomatic transmission;[5] however around 17 cars were equipped with a five-speed ZFmanual transmission. The suspension was independent front and rear wishbone unit equipped with coil springs. Steering was power assisted rack and pinion and the car came with vented disc brakes all around with the rear brake discs being positioned inboard. The interior of the car was quite luxurious and it was almost fully upholstered in leather, although the use of Ford sourced parts (steering wheel, gear shift) took away somewhat of the luxurious impression.[6]
Development
Production of the Series 1 began in 1973. For the 1980 model year, the modernised Series 2 was introduced, with slight modifications occurring later as well.
A sporty GTS variant was introduced at the 1980 Turin Motor Show, featuring wider wheels and flared wheel arches.[2] and minor suspension setting differences to better utilise the wider Campagnolo wheels with Pirelli P7 tyres. A Longchamp cabriolet variant ("Spyder") was also introduced alongside the GTS.[7] It was made by Carrozerria Pavesi of Milan, and a small number of cars were built to GTS specifications.[8] Pavesi also converted a number of older coupés to Spyders.
After supplies of American-built 351 V8s dried up, De Tomaso began sourcing their engines from Australia, to where the production line had been transferred. The engines were tuned in Switzerland before being installed, and were available with power outputs of 270, 300, or 330 PS (199, 221, or 243 kW).[9] In the eighties another version also appeared, the GTS/E. This was the top-of-the-line version, fitted with twin round headlights and extra spoilers, skirts, and a rear wing.[9]
A total of 409 cars were built (395 coupés and 14 spyders) between 1972 and 1989,[7] with only a couple of cars per year built during the last years. The vast majority are of Series 1 specifications. Some claim that production actually came to an end in 1986, with later cars being sold from stock.[8] The Maserati Kyalami and Maserati Quattroporte III, which were also developed from the chassis, and conceived just as Alejandro de Tomaso took over Maserati, was very similar i.e. mechanically virtually identical to the Longchamp. The Narrative derivatives however used a Maserati V8, rather than the Ford unit favoured by De Tomaso.
Gallery
De Tomaso Longchamp
De Tomaso Longchamp (1975)
rear view of series 1 car (1979)
Longchamp Spyder (1983)
1988 GTS coupé
Interior of 1974 Longchamp, with Ford steering wheel and gearshift hardware clearly visible
Notes
^Graham Robson, A-Z of Cars of the 1970s, Haymarket Publishing Ltd, 1990, page 51
^ ab"The De Tomaso Club". maserati-alfieri.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
^. home.comcast.net. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2011-08-04.
^Braunschweig, Robert; Büschi, Hans-Ulrich, eds. (March 6, 1980). "Automobil Revue '80" (in German and French). 75. Berne, Switzerland: Hallwag, AG: 493. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^. detomaso.it. Archived from the original on 2007-01-25. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
^Emsile, Rob (2013-08-30). "For $39,995, go long-champ". Jalopnik. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
^ ab. Pantera Owners Club of America (POCA). Archived from the original on 2007-08-05.
^ abHeitz, Rudolf, ed. (1986-08-01). Auto Katalog 1987 (in German). Vol. 30. Stuttgart: Vereinigte Motor-Verlage GmbH & Co. KG. p. 120.
External links
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January 07, 2023
tomaso, longchamp, grand, tourer, which, produced, italian, automaker, tomaso, from, 1972, 1989, gtsoverviewmanufacturerde, tomasoproduction1972, 1989409, producedassemblymodena, italydesignertom, tjaarda, ghiabody, chassisclassgrand, tourer, body, style2, doo. The De Tomaso Longchamp is a grand tourer which was produced by the Italian automaker De Tomaso from 1972 to 1989 De Tomaso LongchampDe Tomaso Longchamp GTSOverviewManufacturerDe TomasoProduction1972 1989409 producedAssemblyModena ItalyDesignerTom Tjaarda at GhiaBody and chassisClassGrand tourer S Body style2 door coupe2 door convertibleLayoutFront engine rear wheel driveRelatedMaserati KyalamiMaserati Quattroporte III RoyaleDe Tomaso DeauvillePowertrainEngine5 8 L Ford Cleveland V8 1 Transmission3 speed Ford C 6 automatic5 speed ZF manualDimensionsWheelbase2 600 mm 102 4 in Length4 600 mm 181 1 in Width1 830 mm 72 0 in Height1 295 mm 51 0 in Curb weight1 815 kg 4 001 lb GTS Contents 1 History 2 Development 3 Gallery 4 Notes 5 External linksHistory Edit Comparison between the front end of the De Tomaso Longchamp top and Maserati Kyalami bottom The Longchamp was derived from the De Tomaso Deauville four door saloon using a shorter wheelbase chassis with the same suspension engine and transmission The same platform underpinned the Maserati Kyalami grand tourer and the Maserati Quattroporte III saloon as Maserati was owned by De Tomaso at the time The Deauville and the Longchamp were the only front engine production cars produced by De Tomaso The Longchamp was first exhibited at the 1972 Turin Motor Show 2 and was initially offered only as a 2 door 2 2 coupe It was designed by Tom Tjaarda of Ghia and was influenced by his previous Lancia Marica prototype The taillights were the same units as were used for the Alfa Romeo 1750 2000 saloon 3 The headlights and front indicators are from the Ford Consul Granada The name Longchamp is likely a reference to the Longchamp Racecourse in Paris and or Longchamps Buenos Aires a city near de Tomaso company founder Alejandro de Tomaso s birthplace The Longchamp featured a long and wide hood to accommodate the American power train i e the 351 cubic inch 5 769 cc Ford Cleveland V8 4 The 351 Cleveland a popular and very potent engine in early 1970s Ford muscle cars was the same unit used in the Pantera It was rated at a power output of 335 PS 246 kW 330 hp and gave the Longchamp an official top speed of 240 km h 149 mph After Ford stopped manufacturing the 351 Cleveland V8 in the US De Tomaso sourced the engines from Ford Australia The standard gearbox was a three speed Ford C 6 Cruise o Matic automatic transmission 5 however around 17 cars were equipped with a five speed ZF manual transmission The suspension was independent front and rear wishbone unit equipped with coil springs Steering was power assisted rack and pinion and the car came with vented disc brakes all around with the rear brake discs being positioned inboard The interior of the car was quite luxurious and it was almost fully upholstered in leather although the use of Ford sourced parts steering wheel gear shift took away somewhat of the luxurious impression 6 Development EditProduction of the Series 1 began in 1973 For the 1980 model year the modernised Series 2 was introduced with slight modifications occurring later as well A sporty GTS variant was introduced at the 1980 Turin Motor Show featuring wider wheels and flared wheel arches 2 and minor suspension setting differences to better utilise the wider Campagnolo wheels with Pirelli P7 tyres A Longchamp cabriolet variant Spyder was also introduced alongside the GTS 7 It was made by Carrozerria Pavesi of Milan and a small number of cars were built to GTS specifications 8 Pavesi also converted a number of older coupes to Spyders After supplies of American built 351 V8s dried up De Tomaso began sourcing their engines from Australia to where the production line had been transferred The engines were tuned in Switzerland before being installed and were available with power outputs of 270 300 or 330 PS 199 221 or 243 kW 9 In the eighties another version also appeared the GTS E This was the top of the line version fitted with twin round headlights and extra spoilers skirts and a rear wing 9 A total of 409 cars were built 395 coupes and 14 spyders between 1972 and 1989 7 with only a couple of cars per year built during the last years The vast majority are of Series 1 specifications Some claim that production actually came to an end in 1986 with later cars being sold from stock 8 The Maserati Kyalami and Maserati Quattroporte III which were also developed from the chassis and conceived just as Alejandro de Tomaso took over Maserati was very similar i e mechanically virtually identical to the Longchamp The Narrative derivatives however used a Maserati V8 rather than the Ford unit favoured by De Tomaso Gallery EditDe Tomaso Longchamp De Tomaso Longchamp 1975 rear view of series 1 car 1979 Longchamp Spyder 1983 1988 GTS coupe Interior of 1974 Longchamp with Ford steering wheel and gearshift hardware clearly visibleNotes Edit Graham Robson A Z of Cars of the 1970s Haymarket Publishing Ltd 1990 page 51 a b The De Tomaso Club maserati alfieri co uk Retrieved 2007 06 26 Longchamp Parts Cross Reference home comcast net Archived from the original on 2012 11 04 Retrieved 2011 08 04 Braunschweig Robert Buschi Hans Ulrich eds March 6 1980 Automobil Revue 80 in German and French 75 Berne Switzerland Hallwag AG 493 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help the Longchamp detomaso it Archived from the original on 2007 01 25 Retrieved 2007 06 26 Emsile Rob 2013 08 30 For 39 995 go long champ Jalopnik Retrieved 2019 07 05 a b Other Makes De Tomaso carsfromitaly net Retrieved 2007 06 26 a b Longchamp Pantera Owners Club of America POCA Archived from the original on 2007 08 05 a b Heitz Rudolf ed 1986 08 01 Auto Katalog 1987 in German Vol 30 Stuttgart Vereinigte Motor Verlage GmbH amp Co KG p 120 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to De Tomaso Longchamp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title De Tomaso Longchamp amp oldid 1016614215, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
