De Tomaso GuarÃ

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 1993 in Geneva, the Guarà was available as Coupé and open Barchetta. The latter corresponds to the coupe but without roof and proper windscreen. Just a small air deflector protects the passenger and the driver from the elements and it had to be driven using a helmet. The Guarà is based on the Maserati Barchetta Stradale prototype from 1991, a true race car from which a few conversions finally made it onto the public roads. The third model was the Guarà Spider, a convertible with a small canvas top; only five were produced. As for the Maserati Barchetta it seems that the design house "Synthesis Design" was involved in the project.

The first cars (mainly Coupés) were sold in 1994 and with some interruptions the Coupé and the Barchetta still were available (prepayment required) in 2005/2006 in Italy, Austria and Switzerland. However, it seems there were no cars built after 2004 when the company went into liquidation.

Fibreglass, Kevlar, and other Composites make the body shell, fitted to a tubular frame. The suspension is true Formula 1 and IndyCar technology with independent upper and lower wishbone with pushrod front and read end suspension. The Guarà is known for its highly agile handling which makes it a bit too talkative to the normal driver.

First, the Guarà was built using technology and interior parts from BMW but later all cars came equipped with Ford/Visteon (Canada) parts and engines. The Guara was never homologated for US sale.

Though sources vary, approximately 10 to 12 Barchettas, 5 Spiders and about 50 Coupés were sold. Production of Spiders ceased when De Tomaso switched to the Ford engine as the new powerplant did not leave enough room for the canvas.

Engines:

1993–1998

• BMW light alloy V8
• 4.4 L, 32-valve
• 276 PS (272 hp/203 kW)
  • Note: a 304 PS (300 hp/224 kW) version was announced but most likely just a prototype was built with that engine
• 6-speed manual

1998–2004 (1993– for America)

• Ford/Visteon light alloy V8
• 4.6 L, 32-valve
• 320 hp (239 kW)
  • Supercharged engines producing 375 and 430 hp (280 and 321 kW) were announced but never built
• 6-speed manual
• Maximum speed
• Coupé: 270 km/h (168 mph)
• Barchetta: 275 km/h (171 mph)
• Acceleration 0-100 km/h (62 mph): approximately 5.0 s
• Weight
  • Coupé: 1400 kg (3086 lb)
  • Barchetta: 1050 kg (2315 lb)
• Prices in 2005
  • Coupé: €118000
  • Barchetta: €104000

External links

• De Tomaso official Web Site
• Test drive (in German)
• Synthesis Design page