James Glickenhaus Calls Out De Tomaso For Copying The Ferrari P4/5 [Update: De Tomaso Responds]

We heard back from De Tomaso which responded to this story with an official statement that you can find below. Updated 7/9/2019

De Tomaso used the Goodwood Festival of Speed to unveil the new P72 and it appears not everyone is a fan.

While the car is pretty stunning, it also looks a bit familiar. James Glickenhaus believes there’s a good reason for this as he suggested the model is nothing more than a copy.

In a tweet posted by Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, he accused De Tomaso of putting “tracing paper over our P3/4” and then pasting “much” of the design from the P4/5. He also accused the company of stealing interior design details from Pagani.

“They put tracing paper over our P3/4, pasted on much of our P4/5, stole an interior from Horacio, pumped it up like a Vargas Girl and turned it into Anime. I see Koons not Caravaggio.”-Jim Glickenhaus
“‘Copy:a thing made to be similar or identical to another’”-Jesse Glickenhaus pic.twitter.com/lYxVrdRmkB

— Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (@Glickenhaus) July 8, 2019

He summed up his sentiments by saying “I see Koons not Caravaggio.” This appears to be a reference to American artist Jeff Koons and Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.

The tweet also quoted Jesse Glickenhaus as giving Google’s definition of a copy as “A thing made to be similar or identical to another.”

We’ve reached out to De Tomaso for comment, but the P72 does share a number of similarities to the P4/5. The whole front end looks like an evolved version of the P4/5 and canopy is also similar. However, there a bigger differences further back as the P72 features more flamboyant bodywork, larger intakes and unique side skirts.

Also Read: De Tomaso Returns With P72 Supercar

While we’ll update this article when / if we heard back from De Tomaso, but the company has previously said the P72 was designed by Jowyn Wong and inspired by the P70. That car was a joint project between Alejandro de Tomaso and Carroll Shelby. The partnership frayed and was eventually dissolved “on the eve of the car’s completion.” De Tomaso pressed forward with development and tapped Ghia to help him complete it. The finished model was eventually displayed at the 1965 Turin Motor Show as the Ghia-De Tomaso Sport 5000.

Update: De Tomaso’s Official Response

De Tomaso said they normally would not comment on such a matter, but felt it was “important to again clearly state that our inspiration for the P72 was the De Tomaso Sport Prototypes of the 1960’s. These included the Sport 1000, Sport 2000, Sport 5000 and P70.”

The company also shared comments by Peter Brock, who designed the original P70. According to him, “When I was told this new De Tomaso is an ‘homage’ to my P70 Sports racer I was honored. I had no idea my concept from the mid ‘60s would in any way be influential to a car being presented today. My first impressions of the new De Tomaso are all so positive I hardly know where to begin. The exterior form is so well done it invites you to keep walking around, admiring every subtle detail. In this day of modern super GT’s it’s difficult to stand out for more than a short time. With its design, engineering and technical specifications I think this De Tomaso P72 will set a new standard.”

The company also provided us with a sketch showing the P72’s lineage, while saying “The Glickenhaus’s are certainly entitled to their opinion and we truly wish them nothing but great success for the future.”