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De Tomaso Mangusta 1967 1971
Alejandro De Tomaso had begun racing in his native Argentina in 1951 before moving to Italy to drive for Maserati and OSCA, the latter firm having been founded by the Maserati brothers after they sold up.
This experience inspired him to form his own company - De Tomaso Automobili - in Modena, Italy in 1959. Racing was the order of the day to begin with, the fledgling firm building cars for Formula Junior, Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula 1.
De Tomaso's first road car - the Vallelunga - did not appear until 1965. A pretty, mid-engined coupé powered by a 1.5-litre Ford four-cylinder engine, the Vallelunga was built in small numbers and was not a success, but did contribute its short-wheelbase, backbone chassis, albeit extensively re-engineered, to the Mangusta.
Introduced in 1967, the Mangusta (mongoose) was powered by a mid-mounted 289ci (4.7-litre) Ford V8 engine. Also used to power Ford's GT40 Le Mans challenger, the iconic '289' produced 306bhp as installed in the Mangusta, which also used the GT40's early-type ZF transaxle. Later Mangusta production used the less desirable Ford '302' engine producing only 220bhp, together with a later ZF transmission.
Carrozzeria Ghia's Giorgetto Giugiaro contributed the striking coachwork featuring 'gull wing' engine covers, which had been intended for Giotto Bizzarrini. There is much in Giugiaro's design that echoes his work when designing the Maserati Ghibli, Iso Grifo, Ferrari 250 Berlinetta Bertone and, of course, the timeless Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT. With 300-or-so horsepower on tap, the aerodynamic Mangusta was good for a top speed in the region of 155mph.
All-round disc brakes helped restrain this outstanding performance. De Tomaso enjoyed close links with the Ford Motor Company at this time and the American firm helped put the Mangusta into larger scale production than would otherwise have been possible. Nevertheless, only 401 examples were made between 1967 and 1972, compared with 765 examples of the contemporary Lamborghini Miura, and any Mangusta is extremely rare.
The drastic anti-pollution regulations in operation in the US at the time required a significant drop in torque and power in this engine which produced a feeble 230 bhp. Some 250 Mangusta were sold in the USA.
one 1968 De Tomaso Mangusta was sold for Euros 235,200 at RM Villa Erba Auction in 2015 one 1969 De Tomaso Mangusta was sold for Euros 268,800 at RM Monaco Auction in 2014 one 1970 Mangusta was sold for £ 124,700(€ 138,289) at BONHAMS Collectors' Automobilia and Motor Cars in 2014 one 1970 De Tomaso Mangusta was sold for £ 203,100 (256,796 Euros) at Bonhams Auction in London in 2013 one 1971 De Tomaso Mangusta was sold for 327,800 Euros at Artcurial Auction in Paris in 2016. one 1969 De Tomaso Mangusta was sold for US$ 280,000 at Gooding & Co. Scottsdale Auction in 2019 Source Newspress- Bonhams Auction Archives- Artcurial Auction Archives - RM Auction Archives
P.Damiens, source Artcurial Archives- Bonhams Auction Archives NEWSPRESS photo Salon Privé Wallpapers :De Tomaso Mangusta 1967 1971(click on image to enlarge)
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