The Mangusta was the second production road car produced by De Tomaso. Following the Vallelunga debut, Alejandro realized that he would need to use a different business model to find financial stability for his company. This approach consisted of producing homologated road cars in higher volumes. At this point, Alejandro confident with the initial success of the Vallelunga was ready to truly establish himself on the world stage.
The chassis of the Mangusta has a unique origin; a direct descendant of the 1965 Shelby – De Tomaso P70. Following Carroll Shelby’s departure from the P70 program, Alejandro became even more driven to prove himself to the world, and notably Shelby. He turned the now legendary designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, who at the time was working for Ghia. Giugiaro had a design in-hand that was originally prepared for Iso, but they decided not to use the design as they were not seeking a mid-engine configuration. DeTomaso, the shrewd businessman, seized this opportunity and placed Guigiaro’s design onto his the ‘spine chassis’ chassis of the P70/Sport 5000/ De Tomaso – Ghia 1965 show car.
The Mangusta’s aggressive yet reserved design had many signature features outside of the chassis, which included rear engine covers that used a centrally-hinged “gull-wing” opening sequence to provide access to the engine and rear storage compartment. The interior was designed in the spirit of a luxury grand touring car with supple leather seats and many amenities such as air conditioning, electric windows.
The engine was a race-inspired Ford V-8 mated to a ZF 5-speed transaxle with a limited slip differential. The Mangusta was a performer with a fully independent suspension, four-wheel power-assisted disc brakes and cast magnesium wheels produced by Campagnolo.
The Name
The name also had origins to the Shelby-De Tomaso P70 as after Shelby left the program, Alejandro was quite upset and determined to show Carroll who was “boss”. When asked about the name, Mangusta, Alejandro would often state that the Mangusta (Italian for Mongoose) is the only animal that will take on a Cobra snake and win (referring to Shelby’s ‘King Cobras’).
In 1966, the timeless design of the Mangusta debuted at the Turin Show and took De Tomaso and his Ghia design team to the next level on the world stage. Alejandro was finding his footing.
Specifications
- Type: Ford V8 engine (4,728 cc)
- Layout: Mid-engined, longitudinally mounted.
- Aspiration: Naturally Aspirated
- Fuel system: Two valves per cylinder w/ Weber Carburettors
- Power Output: 306 bhp @ 6,100 rpm / Redline 6,800 rpm
- Power Ratio: 65 bhp / litre
- Power to weight: 0.24 bhp / kg
- Top Speed: 250 km/h (155 mph)
- 0-60 mph: 5.9 s
- 0-100 mph: 13.7 s
- Body: Fibre-glass
- Chassis: Steel and alloy body on steel backbone chassis with stressed engine
- Front suspension:double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers
- Rear suspension:Lower wishbones, top links, twin trailing arms, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers
- Steering: Rack-and-pinion
- Gearbox: 6 speed Manual
- Brakes: Disc (fr/r)
- Drive: Rear-wheel drive
- Weight: 1,300 kilo / 2,866 lbs
- Length / Width / Height: 4,275 mm (168.3 in) / 1,834 mm (72.2 in) / 1,100 mm (43.3 in)
- Wheelbase / Track: 2,500 mm (98.4 in) / 1,394 mm (54.9 in) / 1,450 mm (57.1 in)
- Fuel capacity: 60 Litre (15.9 Gallon)
- Tyres: (fr/r) 185 HR 15; 225 HR 15
Of the 401 examples of the De Tomaso Mangusta (‘mongoose’ in Italian) that were built during its four-year lifespan from 1967, over 250 were sold in the USA. One of these – a superbly-presented 1969 example – recently left its former Californian home bound for UK shores and is now one of the premier consignments on offer at Historics late summer sale at Brooklands Museum on Saturday, August 30th, at an estimate of £210,000 – £245,000.
The Mangusta was the brainchild of Argentinian racing driver, Alejandro de Tomaso, whose move to Italy prompted the development of his own competition machinery before he turned his talents to creating road cars, the Mangusta being his first.
Penned by Italian styling maestro Giorgetto Giugiaro, and built by Turin’s legendary coachbuilder Ghia, the credentials of the stunningly-elegant Mangusta are impeccable. It’s timeless design is a tribute to Giugiaro’s work from any angle, its diminutive stance – just 3” more than the Ford GT40 – adding to the drama, as are the spectacular gullwing doors over the engine bay.
But the cream on the cake for USA enthusiasts was the fitment of all-American V8 muscle to power the mid-engined Mangusta. Not only did it create instant empathy Stateside but it also guaranteed that keeping a Mangusta on the road would cost a fraction of the alternative Italian exotica of the day.
Now registered the UK, the two-owner-from-new, red Mangusta offered by Historics is in magnificent condition, inside and out, cosmetically and mechanically. Its 4.9 litre Ford V8, mated to a five-speed ZF gearbox, bursts into life in an instant, and the host of documentation stretching back over 30 years underlines the enormous degree of professional care that has been consistently devoted to all aspects of the car. Despite the racing DNA courtesy of its creator, the car is well-equipped with a grey leather interior and, significantly, air conditioning was fitted as standard.
With an estimated 250 examples remaining worldwide, exclusivity is assured and with values raising fast, this very original De Tomaso Mangusta represents a rare opportunity to acquire an exquisite and very drivable supercar and own a surefire investment.