One to Buy: 25,000km Porsche Blue Metallic 1996 De Tomaso Guara
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After the expensively developed Pantera SI proved a commercial flop, De Tomaso’s future hinged on what appeared to be a brand new successor: the Guara. In reality the De Tomaso Guara was a re-bodied and re-engined iteration of the Maserati Barchetta one-make racer from 1991-1992.
The Barchetta of course hailed from a time when Alejandro de Tomaso still owned a substantial part of Maserati. He sold his first 50% of the company in 1990 and the second in 1993. Unfortunately, amid still quite poor trading conditions, the De Tomaso Guara bombed and less than 40 were built in all body styles between 1993 and 2001.
With BMW’s sophisticated 4-litre V8 in place (as opposed to the later Ford unit), early Guaras offer the best representation of what De Tomaso had in mind for the model. On November 7th, Broad Arrow Auctions will be putting one of these rarely seen cars acorss the block at their Zurich sale.
One of approximately 21 Guara Coupes built, chassis ZDT8940000A800015 was configured in the handsome combination of Porsche Blue Metallic paint with Grigio upholstery. Completed during 1996, in September 1997 chassis ‘015’ was delivered to Sportwagen Engel in Andernach, Germany, where it served as a demonstrator.
The Guara was sold to its first private owner, London-based advertising magnate and serial Italian car buyer, Ric Lee, in March 1998. Having received a full factory service, chassis ‘015’ was UK registered in 1999 and maintained by The Car Works in Norfolk who added the custom front lid cooling vent still in place today.
After passing to its second UK custodian in September 2007 (who secured features for it in the February 2009 issue of BMW Car and the July 2011 edition of Classic & Sportscar), chassis ‘015’ was acquired by the consignor in September 2012 and de-registered two years later. It has reputedly continued to receive diligent care and maintenance since. At the time of cataloguing, chassis ‘015’ displayed a little over 25,000km.
For more information visit the Broad Arrow Auctions website at: https://www.broadarrowauctions.com/
