Racing Reverie - There’s something magical about the moment when a carmaker decides that “good” isn’t enough. It’s the spark that turns a clever design into a statement piece and pushes performance machines into a whole new league. In the mid-1960s, one such spark lit up the workshops of Modena, where
Alejandro De Tomaso was fresh off producing
the first Vallelunga.
The compact sportscar had already made waves in 1964, but instead of resting on its laurels,
De Tomaso saw an opportunity to take it further—into the demanding, high-adrenaline world of racing.
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| The 1966 De Tomaso Sports 1000 Ghia Spyder aka Competizione 2000 race concept car built based of the De Tomaso Vallelunga. (Picture from: Wikicars) |
That era was a playground for innovation. Big names and small workshops alike were unveiling advanced racing machines, each hoping to edge out the competition. Sensing the momentum,
De Tomaso envisioned
a spyder-style racing version of the Vallelunga. Dubbed
the Sports 1000 in its early sketches, this evolution would run
Ford engines between one and two litres, blending lightweight agility with a racing spirit. To make it real,
De Tomaso enlisted the talents of
two Italian coachbuilding legends—
Ghia and
Fantuzzi—each tasked with creating a concept that would push
the Vallelunga’s potential to the next level.
1. Ghia-bodied race concept car
The first creation to see daylight came from
Ghia’s studio in
December 1965:
the De Tomaso Sport 1000 Ghia Spyder,
chassis 2022. It stepped onto
the 1966 Geneva Motor Show floor looking like it belonged in motion even when standing still, earning
the “Best Car Design” award. Its low, open body, wide wheel arches, and neatly integrated headlights gave it a clean, timeless balance.
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| The 1966 De Tomaso Sports 1000 Ghia Spyder aka Competizione 2000 has the large wheel arches not compromised by the bulky headlights, and is placed right beside the front grille. (Picture from: Wikicars) |
Under its shapely skin, the car carried
a tuned 1.6-litre Ford 120E engine—
essentially a hotter version of the 104-horsepower unit from the Vallelunga—
paired with a Volkswagen-case 4-speed gearbox upgraded with Colotti gear sets.
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The 1966 De Tomaso Sports 1000 Ghia Spyder's cockpit featured by basic flat top dash housed an array of instrumentation and a standard wood-rimmed Vallelunga steering with 2 bucket seats. (Picture from: Pinterest)
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Suspension parts borrowed from
Triumph kept
the 13-inch wheels planted,
while the cabin stripped away all excess,
leaving only essentials:
two black vinyl bucket seats,
a flat-topped dash loaded with gauges,
and the familiar Vallelunga wood-rimmed wheel.
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| The 1966 De Tomaso Sports 1000 Ghia Spyder aka Competizione 2000 originally powered by a 1.6 litre four cylinder Ford 120E engine, but for marketing reason later, De Tomaso said the car uses a Flat 8 cylinder 2-litre its owned engine. (Picture from: Wikicars) |
For show purposes,
De Tomaso sometimes claimed it ran
a flat 8-cylinder 2-litre engine,
swapping in 15-inch wheels and renaming it the Competizione 2000.
After its Geneva debut, the car stayed in
De Tomaso’s possession until
2004, when the company’s liquidation sent it into the hands of an Italian collector who restored it completely.
2. Fantuzzi-bodied race concept car
Fantuzzi’s turn came in
1966 with
the Sport 1000/66,
chassis VL 1609, known as
the De Tomaso Sports 1000 BRM Fantuzzi Spyder. This one was special not just for its elegant bodywork but for its heart:
a rare 998cc BRM Formula 2 engine,
one of only fifteen ever built.
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| The 1966 De Tomaso Sports 1000 BRM Fantuzzi Spyder was on action at the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed. (Picture from: UltimateCarPage) |
Producing 129 horsepower at a screaming 9,750 rpm, it was paired with
a revised engine subframe,
straight-through exhaust,
and a wider set of Campagnolo wheels from De Tomaso’s Formula 3 program.
The steering wheel was smaller,
the fuel tank reworked,
and the rear body reshaped with flared fenders and functional cut-outs for trumpets and cooling.
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| The 1966 De Tomaso Sports 1000 BRM Fantuzzi Spyder powered by a 998cc BRM Formula 2 engine. (Picture from: SupercarNostalgia) |
Although its DNA screamed “race car,”
the Fantuzzi Spyder never saw action on a competitive track. Instead, it remained tucked away at the factory until
the 2004 clearance sale, after which it passed between English collectors before being brought back to life for
the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed—still impressively original. It is also worth noting that besides
this Spyder,
Fantuzzi also made a more spectacular racing car,
the Sport 5000 Spyder in
1965.
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| The 1966 De Tomaso Sports 1000 BRM Fantuzzi Spyder after finished a comprehensive restoration done by Motorvation, an UK's automotove workshop before attended for the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed. (Picture from: SupercarNostalgia) |
What began as
the Vallelunga wasn’t just refined—it was reimagined into machines that embodied the very pulse of the racing culture of their era. In the hands of
Ghia and
Fantuzzi,
the familiar sportscar silhouette evolved into two striking spyder concepts, each with its own personality yet both carrying the same fearless intent. These weren’t mere design experiments; they were expressions of a manufacturer unafraid to test the limits of performance, style, and engineering.
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| The
1966 De Tomaso Sports 1000 BRM Fantuzzi Spyder's rear bodywork was
modified with flared fenders and an opening for the exhaust pipe on the
tail facia. (Picture from: SupercarNostalgia) |
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That era was a playground for innovation. Big names and small workshops alike were unveiling advanced racing machines, each hoping to edge out the competition. Sensing the momentum, De Tomaso envisioned a spyder-style racing version of the Vallelunga. Dubbed the Sports 1000 in its early sketches, this evolution would run Ford engines between one and two litres, blending lightweight agility with a racing spirit. To make it real, De Tomaso enlisted the talents of two Italian coachbuilding legends—Ghia and Fantuzzi—each tasked with creating a concept that would push the Vallelunga’s potential to the next level.
The first creation to see daylight came from Ghia’s studio in December 1965: the De Tomaso Sport 1000 Ghia Spyder, chassis 2022. It stepped onto the 1966 Geneva Motor Show floor looking like it belonged in motion even when standing still, earning the “Best Car Design” award. Its low, open body, wide wheel arches, and neatly integrated headlights gave it a clean, timeless balance. 
More than half a century later, they stand as more than just beautifully preserved artifacts. They are vivid snapshots of De Tomaso’s relentless ambition, proof that when a good idea is pushed beyond its comfort zone, it can transcend its origins. In their curves, details, and untamed spirit lies a reminder that true automotive greatness often comes from daring to imagine what’s next, even when the starting point is already something remarkable. *** [EKA [22022021] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | AUTOKULT.PL | WIKICARS.ORG | FLAVIAENDACHET | SUPERCARNOSTALGIA.COM | CARSTYLING.RU | CARROZZIERI-ITALIANI.COM | IN2MOTORSPORTS.COM | SUPERCARS.NET | ULTIMATECARPAGE ]
