De Tomaso Guarà History

The Guarà was born from the wreckage of a Maserati project: when Fiat acquired Maserati in 1993, the planned Maserati Barchetta street car was cancelled, and Alejandro de Tomaso adapted the design under stylist Carlo Gaino. The Guarà (Spanish for a type of South American dog) entered production in 1994 with a carbon-fibre body over a steel space frame.

Two main engines were offered: a 4.0-litre BMW M60 V8 (286–305 PS) used through 1998, then a 4.6-litre Ford Modular V8 (also approximately 305 PS) through the end of production. Body variants included a closed coupé (38 built), an open barchetta with a minimal windscreen (10 built), and three or four roadster conversions. Total production reached approximately 52 cars.

Alejandro de Tomaso died in 2003 and the company entered liquidation in 2004, but the final Guarà — already ordered before closure — was completed and delivered in 2011, a quiet coda to 45 years of Modena supercar making.