1120

This is a 1970 build date 2-headlight Mangusta model.

Color = White

Sports car / Coupe
Internal number: det_mang
9550 km, 169 kW (230 hp)
EZ: 06/1970 MOT: 12/2012 Colour: red, black leather interior,
for over 20 years in last possession of collectors hand,
5935 miles – about 9551 km, 2 hand
Maintenance with new timing belt and air conditioning Sold! Electr. Windows, tinted glass, alloy wheels, chassis number 8MA1120, Collectible, Vintage approval

One of the very first supercars, the Mangusta effectively established De Tomaso as a serious automobile manufacturer on its arrival in 1967. 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.

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 gull-wing doored coachwork, 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 Guilia 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, and any Mangusta is extremely rare. Indeed, the three marque registries estimate that there are only 250 Mangustas remaining worldwide.

Having spent some 20 years in a private collection, this stunning example displays a believed-correct total of approximately 6,000 miles (9,700 kilometres) on the odometer and is finished in red with black leather interior. ‘8MA1120’ benefits from a recent service, which included fitting a new compressor for the air conditioning unit, a vital extra on this car. The car is offered with Swiss and German registration documents.

Estimate: €120,000 – €135,000
Registration Number: German historic registration papers + Swiss papers
Chassis Number: 8MA 1120

The Mangusta replaced the Vallelunga model, on which its chassis was based. The word “mangusta” is Italian for “mongoose”, an animal that can kill cobras. It was rumored that the car was so named because De Tomaso had some talks with Carroll Shelby to replace the Shelby Cobra with a racing car to be built in Italy by the Argentine-born De Tomaso (“De Tomaso Sport 5000” a.k.a. “De Tomaso P70”), but no deal was signed since Shelby became involved in the Ford GT40 racing program. Nevertheless, Alejandro de Tomaso and Carroll Shelby were friends and business is business, so it is also rumored that the first handful of engines for the Mangusta may have come from Shelby.

401 Mangustas were built, about 150 of the European version, the remainder were the North American version. The initial cars are claimed to have a more powerful Ford HiPo 289 cu. in. engine; the later cars all had Ford 302 engines. With the 1970 model USA destined cars were produced with 2 headlamp pop-up, an estimated 50 cars were produced in this configuration. One car was built with a Chevrolet engine for General Motors-Vice President, Bill Mitchell. There are reported to be approximately 250 of the 401 cars left in existence, according to the three available registries.

8MA 1120 presents itself in excellent condition, having benefitted from a Euro 10.000 extensive service recently. The car is in Italian red with black interior. Both, the paintwork and the interior are said to be in very good condition. The car also comes with historic German road papers and older Swiss papers.