824

This is a 4-headlight variant 1969 Mangusta has an engine number stamp of 302/0059.

Color = Azure

Lot 133
1969 De Tomaso Mangusta
To be auctioned on Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Sold for €168.000
Chassis no. 8MA824 Engine no. 502/0059

271 bhp, 289 cu. in. OHV Ford V-8 engine, five-speed ZF manual transmission, unequal length tubular wishbone front suspension with coil springs and an anti-roll bar, wide-base unequal length wishbone rear suspension with trailing arms, coil springs, and an anti-roll bar, and four-wheel power-assisted Girling disc brakes. Wheelbase: 2,500 mm.

Original paint, upholstery, and drivetrain
Formerly of Peter Kaus’s Rosso Bianco Museum

The first true production De Tomaso was the Mangusta, which was introduced in 1967. It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, built by fabled Turin coachbuilder Ghia, of which de Tomaso had become president, and was reportedly based on the Ford GT40 concept, as it featured a mid-ship V-8 engine, rear transaxle, and backbone chassis. Giugiaro’s muscular, wide-shouldered bodywork emphasised that the engine, which was visible under two clamshell-style rear windows, could propel the car from 0 to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds, through the quarter-mile in 15 seconds at 94 mph, and to a claimed top speed of 155 mph.

The car offered here has a history known back to its time in the renowned Rosso Bianco Museum of Peter Kaus in Aschaffenberg, Germany. It spent about 20 years on display in that legendary sports car collection, during which time it was driven only a few kilometres but was very well preserved. At the museum’s dispersal in 2006, it was sold to its present European owner, in whose collection it has been well-maintained since.

The Mangusta still wears what is believed to be its original bright blue paintwork and interior. Both show the expected wear of a 40-year-old collector car, but they have the charm and patina that only age can provide. This is certainly one of a few De Tomasos of any type that still retain their original finishes. According to the owner, it is in good running order and is believed to be the only Mangusta fitted with six headlights by the factory.

Coachwork by Carrozzeria Ghia
Engine no. 502/0059
Alejandro De Tomaso began 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 great success, but did contribute its short-wheelbase, backbone chassis – extensively re-engineered – to the Mangusta. It was the latter’s arrival in 1967 that established De Tomaso as a serious automobile manufacturer. One of the very first supercars, the Mangusta (mongoose) was powered by a mid-mounted 289cu in (4.7-litre) Ford V8 engine (302cu in for the USA) driving via a ZF five-speed transaxle. Carrozzeria Ghia’s Giorgetto Giugiaro contributed the striking gullwing doored coachwork, originally intended for Giotto Bizzarrini, and with around 300bhp 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. Approximately 400 examples were made between 1967 and 1972.

Other than the fact that its engine is in running condition, little information is available about this left-hand drive example at time of going to press. It is hoped that further information will be available at time of sale.