De Tomaso is offered to the highest bidder

Alejandro de Tomaso’s dream has been dead and buried since the days of the legendary De Tomaso Pantera ended. The half-hearted attempt at resurrection through the SUV SLC last year had no foundation whatsoever; on the one hand, there was not enough money to return to the spotlight and on the other, the SLC was a blunder for a brand that was always among the most orthodox defenders of traditional sports cars.

Although it was said that the Chinese would get involved with De Tomaso, the truth is that they too were unable to keep the flag flying for long. Now it is the unions of the Piedmont region in Italy, and the unfortunate Gian Mario Rossignolo, who have met with representatives of the local government to ask for help in finding someone willing to buy the brand.

Several leading brands were contacted by the regional government, but none has shown interest. For example, BMW has been invited to take a look at De Tomaso, but the German manufacturer has said that it was not interested in the brand or its facilities, not in the slightest.

The others have either not yet replied or are still thinking it over, but I don’t think there is much to think about. Unless the investment is very large, something difficult and truly extraordinary in the times we live in, or some eager Chinese or Russian investor appears ready to spend money, De Tomaso has little chance of coming back to life.