De Tomaso's $3M P900 Debuts A Beastly 6.2-Liter V12 That Looks Extraterrestrial
De Tomaso has unleashed a screaming V12 predator that looks less like a car engine and more like a fever dream from H.R. Giger. This twisted, intestinal motor will power the equally impressive P900 hypercar, which will be available in very limited numbers.
It doesn't take an enthusiast to appreciate the mesmerizing 12-into-1 exhaust manifold crafted by Italtecnica Engineering. This web of heat-reflective Inconel pipes coils around the block like a twisting mass of metallic viscera eventually merging into a single, massive central outlet; it's a design that prioritizes emotion and acoustic purity as much as track-ready performance.
Developed in partnership with the German firm Capricorn Group, the naturally aspirated V12 is claimed to be the lightest and smallest 12-cylinder engine ever built, weighing a mere 220 kilograms (485 pounds). Such weight-savings allows the P900 to achieve a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio, producing 900 horsepower for a car that tips the scales at exactly 900 kilograms (dry, according to the factory).
Can we also appreciate that the unboosted engine is designed to run exclusively on carbon-neutral synthetic fuels (i.e. artificial, liquid drop-in replacements for petrol and diesel) and can also hit a 12,300 rpm redline, only slightly surpassing the legendary Cosworth V12 (12,100 rpm) in the Gordon Murray T.50.
For the 18 fortunate owners who will have paid roughly $3 million for the privilege, driving the analog P900 will be about tickling all the senses. Power is funneled straight to the rear wheels through a bespoke Xtrac sequential gearbox—no all-wheel drive, let alone batteries and electric motors that define contemporary hypercars. Such purity of purpose extends to the ownership experience as De Tomaso offers to store and maintain the vehicles at its dedicated facility at the Nürburgring.
It's probably safe to say that the P900—especially that engine—will be go down in the annals of time for bucking the trend of hypercars inviting hybridizing and/or electrification while wrapped in a piece of steampunk eldritch art that's powered by e-fuel. De Tomaso is expecting to begin production and delivery of the car later this year, and for its customers, the car can't come soon enough. Initially, delivery of the P900 was said to commence in early 2023, then pushed to 2024... you get the idea.
