The automotive world has probably never seen another man as enigmatic as Alejandro De Tomaso since he left the scene several years ago. Born in Argentina, De Tomaso is best known for his love for speed and fast cars, as well as for his exceptional business acumen. De Tomaso has an Italian heritage courtesy of his paternal grandfather, and he would later return to Italy to make a name for himself through several high-level business deals that propelled him into great fortune and prominence right there in Italy and the world at large.

Notably, De Tomaso was also known for his endearing yet vocal persona. This attribute led him at quite a young age to start a political newspaper along with a few friends to resist the then Argentinian government led by President Juan Perón. Fortunately, he lived to tell the story. A truly interesting man and a special breed of a business tycoon who had a great interest in building cars, let’s tell you more about the iconic Alejandro De Tomaso through these fast facts.

8 Born A Twin

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via Classis Car Journal

Although Alejandro De Tomaso lived most of his life in Europe, he was born a twin in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 10 July 1928. De Tomaso’s grandfather was an emigrant from the South of Italy.

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via Reddit

However, De Tomaso’s father, a graduate of medicine and law, was also born in Argentina, and he was also once Argentina’s Minister of Agriculture. On the other hand, De Tomaso’s mother Ceballos hailed from a wealthy family of Spanish origin.

RELATED: 10 Coolest Facts About The De Tomaso Pantera Collectors Should Know About

7 Was A Political Refugee

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via De Tomaso

De Tomaso had quite an affluent upbringing. Born in Buenos Aries, he grew up among a family known to be quite politically influential and very wealthy as well. Hence, his arrogant, unforgiving, headstrong, and mildly nonchalant attitude, which he displayed throughout his life could probably be attributed to his affluent upbringing.

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via Tumblr

In his late twenties, De Tomaso had to flee to Italy when his name was fingered in a plot to overthrow Juan Perón, the then Argentinian president.

6 Worked For The Maserati Brothers

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via OSCA

The Maserati Brothers founded the Italian luxury vehicle company Maserati S.p.A. in 1914. They manufactured several race cars and dominated the track for years. However, unable to effectively run the administrative arm of the company, later on, the brothers sold Maserati to Adolfo Orsi in 1937.

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via OSCA

Years after, they formed O.S.C.A., a racing and sports car company in Bologna. On De Tomaso’s arrival to Italy, he is believed to have worked as a mechanic at the O.S.C.A. company and he also at some point assumed the role of a test driver.

5 Married Elizabeth Haskell

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via FaceBook

In 1955 De Tomaso moved to Bologna in Italy to pursue his dream of becoming a racer. While at it, he met and married American heiress and accomplished racer Elizabeth Haskell. Notably, Haskell had great ties with General Motors, as her father and grandfather were both Vice Presidents at the American automotive company.

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via Clarin

Haskell’s family has a deep interest in horse racing, and her father helped found Monmouth Park. The couple got married at the Haskells estate in Palm Beach.

RELATED: 10 Things Everyone Forgot About The De Tomaso Vallelunga

4 Was A Racing Driver

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via Flickr

Having arrived in Modena from his birth country of Argentina in his late twenties, De Tomaso would start a racing career as a driver for popular companies like Scuderia Centro sud, Maserati, and O.S.C.A, after he had gotten married to American heiress, Isabelle Haskel.

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via Reddit

However, De Tomaso would have no championship points during his stint in the competition, and he drove in four Formula One Grand Prix races.

3 Founded De Tomaso Automobili

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via De Tomaso

In 1959, in the city of Modena, Alejandro De Tomaso founded the Italian car manufacturing company De Tomaso Automobili originally to produce different prototypes and several kinds of racing cars. Hence, in 1970 he famously built a Formula One car for the Frank Williams’ team.

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De Tomaso

Subsequently, De Tomaso launched the production of high-performance sports cars using aluminum backbone chassis. Popular De Tomaso cars include the Pantera, Deauville, Mangusta, and Vallelunga.

RELATED: 10 Incredible De Tomaso Models That You Never Knew Existed

2 Rescued Maserati From Liquidation

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via Artbellum

Citroën management dropped a press release on 22 May 1975, abruptly announcing Maserati’s liquidation. Swinging into action, trade unions, the mayor of Modena, and politicians moved to save the company jobs through a series of meetings. However, during one of the meetings, the news went round that De Tomaso had an interest in buying the distressed company.

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via Hagerty

Hence, on 8 August 1975, the Maserati company was passed from Citroën to Italian state-owned holding company GEPI and Alejandro De Tomaso who then became the company’s president and CEO.

1 Suffered A Stroke

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via Reddit

The daily running of the De Tomaso company came under severe threat in 1993, when Alejandro De Tomaso suffered a stroke. Unable to personally see to the day-to-day running of the company, De Tomaso passed the company’s administration to his son, Santiago.

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via Pantheon

Notably, Santiago was instrumental in engineering Daihatsu Charade De Tomaso, the sports version of the fourth generation Daihatsu Charade that was introduced in 1994. De Tomaso never recovered, he passed away in Modena on May 21, 2003, aged 74.