Rare De Tomaso revived

One of only two surviving De Tomaso 3-litre Formula 1 cars will return to racing this summer after running in public for the first time in 38 years during the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The first of three 505 chassis was badly damaged when Piers Courage crashed the Frank Williams-run car in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix in April 1970, and the remains were stored in the De Tomaso factory for 34 years. It has now been rebuilt by preparation experts Hall and Hall, who are currently reviewing when and where to race the car, which will be driven by Rob Hall.

Another 505 was destroyed in the accident that claimed the life of Courage at Zandvoort in June, while the third of the Gian Paolo Dallara-designed cars was built up and raced over the balance of the 1970 season by Brian Redman and Tim Schenken.

The third car has been at De Tomaso since the project was scrapped at the end of 1970, while Hall and Hall have now restored chassis 505-381. “It still had tyre marks on the tub from the accident at Jarama,” said Rob Hall. “We got the monocoque and a lot of spares in 2006, and we’ve been working on it ever since.”