Plastic automotive engine
Version one was based on Ford's 2.3-liter Pinto engine and weighed (vs. for its cast iron counterpart). It was designed to produce at 9200 rpm. It was composed of metal cylinder sleeves, metal combustion chamber tops, metal piston crowns, bearings, valves and seats, and a stock 2.3L Pinto crankshaft. Nearly everything else in the engine, including the block, rods and piston skirts, were made of glass reinforced Polyamide-imide thermoplastic resins manufactured at the time by Amoco Chemicals Co. The engine was never installed in a vehicle.
De Tomaso Longchamp
The Longchamp featured a long and wide hood to accommodate the American power train, i.e. the 351 cubic inch (5,769 cc) Ford "Cleveland" V8. The 351 Cleveland, a popular and very potent engine in early 1970s Ford "muscle cars," was the same unit as that used in the Pantera. It produced a minimum of 330 hp (246 kW) and gave the Longchamp an official 240 km/h (149 mph) top speed. After Ford USA stopped manufacturing the 351 Cleveland V8, De Tomaso sourced them from Ford Australia. The standard gearbox was a three-speed Ford C-6 "Cruise-o-Matic" automatic gearbox, however around 17 cars were equipped with a five-speed ZF manual gearbox. The suspension was independent front and rear with coil spring and wishbone suspension. Steering was power assisted rack and pinion with vented disc brakes all around, the rear discs being positioned inboard. The interior of the car was quite luxurious and it was almost fully covered with leather, although the use of Ford's partsbin (steering wheel, gear shift) took away somewhat of the luxurious impression.