The prototype has a backbone chassis with stressed member engine and formula car suspension in a barchetta body constructed in Modena.

[1][4] Advertised in a prospectus as a Spider with weather equipment, Alejandro de Tomaso hoped to sell the concept to another company,[4] but when there were no takers he commissioned Carrozzeria Fissore to build a new aluminum body on his rolling chassis.

Fissore presented the resulting coupé styled by its young design chief Franco Maina at the Turin show in November 1964.

[7] The engine is a 1.5 L straight-4 Ford Kent from the Cortina,[3][4] tuned to a power output of 104 hp (78 kW) at 6,200 rpm[2] with twin Weber 40DCOE2 carburetors, mated to a Volkswagen Beetle transaxle.

[3][2] The chassis frame is a fabricated sheet and tubular steel backbone and front crossmember[3] with the mid-mounted transmission and engine initially carrying rear suspension loads to the central beam.