Alejandro de Tomaso - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Alejandro de Tomaso

Encyclopedia

Alejandro de Tomaso is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

) was a racing driver and industrialist from Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

. His name is sometimes seen in an Italianised form as Alessandro de Tomaso. He participated in two Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on January 13, 1957. He scored no championship points.

De Tomaso the carmaker

Despite his Formula One

Formula One

career, de Tomaso was much more significant in the motoring world as a maker of cars. He founded the Italian sports car company De Tomaso Automobili

De Tomaso

De Tomaso Automobili SpA is an Italian car-manufacturing company. It was founded by the Argentine-born Alejandro de Tomaso in Modena in 1959. It originally produced various prototypes and racing cars, including a Formula One car for Frank Williams' team in 1970. The company developed a reputation...

in 1959, and later built up a substantial business empire.

Born in Argentina

Argentina

of a prominent political family, de Tomaso fled in 1955 to Italy – from where his paternal grandfather had emigrated – in his late twenties, after being implicated in a plot to overthrow the Argentinian

Argentina

president, Juan Perón

Juan Perón

Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...

. He settled in Modena

Modena

Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....

and started his career in the car industry as a racing driver for Maserati

Maserati in motorsport

Throughout its history the Italian auto manufacturer Maserati has participated in various forms of motorsport including Formula One, sportscar racing and touring car racing, both as a works team and through private entrants.-Beginnings:...

and O.S.C.A.

O.S.C.A.

Officine Specializzate Costruzioni Automobili - Fratelli Maserati SpA was an Italian brand of sports car automobiles, usually abbreviated to O.S.C.A., OSCA or Osca.- History :...

having married Isabelle Haskell, an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

heiress who also raced cars.

In 1959 he founded the De Tomaso

De Tomaso

car company in Modena

Modena

Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....

, originally to build prototypes and racing cars, which included a Formula One

Formula One

car for Frank Williams' team in 1970. De Tomaso then turned to high-performance sports cars, most of which used aluminium

Aluminium

Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....

backbone chassis

Chassis

A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...

, which were to become the company's technical trademark. De Tomaso

De Tomaso

cars include the two-door, mid-engined Vallelunga

De Tomaso Vallelunga

The Vallelunga was an extremely rare mid-engined, rear wheel drive sports car produced by De Tomaso from 1964 until 1968.-History:The Vallelunga was based on a roadster designed by Carozzeria Fissore and named after the Autodromo di Vallelunga first shown as a concept car at the Turin Motor Show in...

, Mangusta

De Tomaso Mangusta

The De Tomaso Mangusta is a sports car from Italian automobile manufacturer De Tomaso produced between 1967 and 1971.-History:The Mangusta replaced the Vallelunga model, on which its chassis was based. The word "Mangusta" is Italian for "Mongoose", an animal that can kill cobras...

and Pantera

De Tomaso Pantera

The Pantera was a sports car produced by the De Tomaso car company of Italy from 1971 to 1991, the last one being delivered to a customer in 1992.The word "Pantera" is Italian for "Panther".-History:...

; the Deauville

De Tomaso Deauville

De Tomaso Deauville is a large four-door sedan first exhibited at Turin Motor Show 1970. The car was powered by the same 330 hp, 351 in³ Ford Cleveland V8 as the De Tomaso Pantera...

, a four-door saloon resembling the Jaguar XJ6; and the Longchamp

De Tomaso Longchamp

The De Tomaso Longchamp is an automobile which was produced by the Italian automaker De Tomaso from 1972 to 1989.The Longchamp was developed from the De Tomaso Deauville four-door sedan, using a shorter wheelbase chassis with the same suspension, engine and transmission. The two models were the...

, a two-door coupé version of the Deauville

De Tomaso Deauville

De Tomaso Deauville is a large four-door sedan first exhibited at Turin Motor Show 1970. The car was powered by the same 330 hp, 351 in³ Ford Cleveland V8 as the De Tomaso Pantera...

which later formed the basis of the Maserati

Maserati in motorsport

Kyalami

Maserati Kyalami

The Maserati Kyalami is an automobile which was produced by Maserati in Italy from 1976 to 1983.Named after the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in South Africa, it was a new model rushed into production after Alessandro de Tomaso took helm of the company...

. De Tomaso

De Tomaso

's most recent product has been the Guarà

De Tomaso Guarà

The De Tomaso Guarà is a sports car and the last project of the founder and owner Alejandro de Tomaso put into the market. Presented at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show, the Guarà was available as a coupe and open barchetta...

, a two-door sports car with a carbon fibre bodyshell.

During the 1960s and 1970s, de Tomaso acquired a number of Italian industrial holdings. As well as the Ghia and Vignale

Vignale

Vignale was an Italian automobile coachbuilder company. Carrozzeria Alfredo Vignale was established in 1948 at Via Cigliano, Turin by Alfredo Vignale in Grugliasco, near Turin ....

coachbuilding studios, he gained control of the Benelli and Moto Guzzi

Moto Guzzi

Moto Guzzi is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer. It is one of seven brands owned by Piaggio.Established in 1921 in Mandello del Lario, Italy, the company is noted for its central historic role in Italy's motorcycling manufacture, its prominence worldwide in motorcycle racing, and a series of...

motorcycle firms, the Innocenti

Innocenti

Innocenti was an Italian machinery works originally established by Ferdinando Innocenti in 1920.After World War II, the company was famous for many years for Lambretta scooters models such as LI125, LI150, TV175, TV200, SX125, SX150, SX200, GP125, GP150 and GP200.From 1961 to 1976 Innocenti built...

car company (founded as an offshoot of the British Motor Corporation

British Motor Corporation

The British Motor Corporation, or commonly known as BMC was a vehicle manufacturer from United Kingdom, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...

to build Mini

Mini

The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...

s in Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

), and, in 1975, the celebrated sports car maker Maserati

Maserati in motorsport

, which he rescued from bankruptcy with the assistance of the Italian government. Over time, however, he sold many of his holdings; Ghia was sold to Ford (who would make much use of the name) in 1973; Innocenti

Innocenti

and Maserati

Maserati in motorsport

were sold to Fiat

Fiat

FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

(which promptly closed the former) in 1993.
De Tomaso suffered a stroke in 1993, and the day-to-day running of the De Tomaso

De Tomaso

company passed to his son Santiago.

He helped in the engineering of the sports version of the fourth generation Daihatsu Charade

Daihatsu Charade

The Daihatsu Charade is a supermini which was first introduced in 1977. Daihatsu considers the Charade a "large compact" car to differentiate it from smaller compacts in its lineup, such as the Daihatsu Mira/Cuore...

, introduced in 1994, which was known as the Daihatsu Charade De Tomaso.

Alejandro de Tomaso died in Italy in 2003.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	WDC	Points
1957 1957 Formula One season The 1957 Formula One season was the eighth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1957 World Championship of Drivers which commenced on January 13, 1957 and ended on September 8 after eight races. Juan Manuel Fangio won his fourth consecutive title, his fifth in total, in his...	Scuderia Centro Sud Scuderia Centro Sud Scuderia Centro Sud was a privateer racing team founded by Guglielmo "Mimmo" Dei that entered various Formula One and sports car between 1956 and 1965....	Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... 500/625 Ferrari Tipo 500 The Ferrari 500 was a Formula 2 car designed by Aurelio Lampredi.For 1952, the FIA announced that Grand Prix races counting towards the World Championship of Drivers would be run to Formula 2 specification rather than to Formula 1, after the withdrawal of Alfa Romeo from the sport. Ferrari were the...	Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... Straight-4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....	ARG 1957 Argentine Grand Prix The 1957 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 January 1957 at Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez. It was the first round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :... 9	MON 1957 Monaco Grand Prix The 1957 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 19 May 1957 at Monaco. It was the second round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :...	500 1957 Indianapolis 500 The 1957 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Thursday, May 30, 1957 at Indianapolis. The event was the third round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship and the first round of the 1957 USAC Championship Car season.- Classification :- Notes :...	FRA 1957 French Grand Prix The 1957 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 7 July 1957 at Rouen-Les-Essarts. It was the fourth round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship.-Classification:-Notes:* Pole position: Juan Manuel Fangio - 2:21.5...	GBR 1957 British Grand Prix The 1957 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 20 July 1957 at the Aintree Circuit, near Liverpool. It was the tenth British Grand Prix, and the fifth World Championship race of the 1957 Formula One season. The race was won by Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks, who shared driving...	GER 1957 German Grand Prix The 1957 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 4 August 1957 at Nürburgring. It was the sixth round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship. The 22 lap race was won by Juan Manuel Fangio, and is often cited as one of the greatest victories in racing history...	PES 1957 Pescara Grand Prix The 1957 Pescara Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 18 August 1957, at the Pescara Circuit near Pescara in Italy. The race was the seventh, and penultimate round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship. The race, which was the only Formula One race at the track, is best remembered for...	ITA 1957 Italian Grand Prix The 1957 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 8 September 1957 at Monza. It was the eighth and final round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship.-Classification:-Notes:* Pole position: Stuart Lewis-Evans - 1:42.4...		NC	0
1959 1959 Formula One season The 1959 Formula One season included the 10th FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on May 10, 1959, and ended on December 12 after nine races...	Automobili O.S.C.A. O.S.C.A. Officine Specializzate Costruzioni Automobili - Fratelli Maserati SpA was an Italian brand of sports car automobiles, usually abbreviated to O.S.C.A., OSCA or Osca.- History :...	Cooper Cooper Car Company The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946... T43 Cooper T43 The Cooper T43 was a Formula One and Formula Two racing car designed and built by the Cooper Car Company for the 1957 Formula One season, first appearing at the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix in a factory entered car for Jack Brabham...	O.S.C.A. O.S.C.A. Officine Specializzate Costruzioni Automobili - Fratelli Maserati SpA was an Italian brand of sports car automobiles, usually abbreviated to O.S.C.A., OSCA or Osca.- History :... Straight-4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....	MON 1959 Monaco Grand Prix The 1959 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on May 10, 1959. It was the opening round of the 1959 Formula One season. It was the 17th Monaco Grand Prix...	500 1959 Indianapolis 500 The 1959 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1959. The event was part of the 1959 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest Lead Lap: Johnny Thomson - 1:01.89...	NED 1959 Dutch Grand Prix The 1959 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zandvoort on May 31, 1959. It was the ninth Dutch Grand Prix. The race was held over 75 laps of the four kilometre circuit for a race distance of 314 kilometres....	FRA 1959 French Grand Prix The 1959 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Reims on July 5, 1959. It was the fourth round of the 1959 Formula One season. It was the 37th French Grand Prix and the twelfth to be held at the Reims-Gueux highway circuit and the fourth to be held on the longer and faster 8.348 km...	GBR 1959 British Grand Prix The 1959 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Aintree Circuit on 18 July 1959. It was the fifth round of the 1959 Formula One season. It was the 14th British Grand Prix and the third to be held at the Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, a circuit mapped out in the grounds of the...	GER 1959 German Grand Prix The 1959 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs-Straße in West Berlin on August 2, 1959. It was the 21st German Grand Prix and was only the second time the race was not held at the Nürburgring. AVUS had previously held the original German Grand...	POR 1959 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1959 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monsanto on August 23, 1959. It was the eighth Portuguese Grand Prix and the second to be held for the Formula One World Drivers' Championship. It was the third time the race was held at Monsanto and the first for Formula One...	ITA 1959 Italian Grand Prix The 1959 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 13, 1959.- Race report :This race was won on the weight of the cars, with Stirling Moss and Rob Walker gambling on running the whole race without a tyre change in the little lightweight Cooper - although they...	USA 1959 United States Grand Prix The 1959 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on December 12, 1959 at Sebring International Raceway.__FORCETOC__-Summary:Russian-born Alec Ulmann's dream of an American Grand Prix was realized in December, 1959 when 19 entries, including six American drivers, arrived in Florida for... Ret	NC	0

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