1970 DeTomaso Mangusta GT

The Mangusta was among the very first supercars created, and it helped established De Tomaso as a serious automobile manufacturer on its arrival in 1967. It was the work of Alejandro De Tomaso, whose background included racing in his native Argentina in 1951 before moving to Italy to drive for Maserati and OSCA (a company that had been founded by the Maserati brothers). This experience led him to the formation of his own company - De Tomaso Automobili, in Modena, Italy in 1959. The company built cars for Formula Junior, Formula 3, Formula 2, and Formula 1. The first road-going DeTomaso was the Vallelunga which first appeared in 1965. It was a mid-engine coupe powered by a Ford 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. The Vallelunga was not a sales success and built in a limited number. The short-wheelbase, backbone chassis did provide the basis for the Mangusta (albeit after having been re-engineered).

The Mangusta (meaning mongoose - the only animal that does not fear a Cobra) was introduced in 1967 and came powered by a mid-mounted 289 cubic-inch Ford V8 engine. This was the same engine that had been used to power Ford's GT40 LeMans challenger. The engine in the Mangusta offered just over 300 horsepower and included the GT40's early-type ZF transaxle. Later versions of the Mangusta were powered by the Ford 302 cubic-inch 220 horsepower engine and a later ZF transmission.

The De Tomaso Mangusta was developed from a Ghia concept at the 1966 Torino Auto Show. The styling and coachwork for the Mangusta was courtesy of Carrozzeria Ghia's Giorgetto Giugiaro (who was also responsible for the design of the Vallelunga). The exotic design had gull-wing-style engine covers, which had been intended for Giotto Bizzarrini. The design was inspired by many prior Giugiaro's designs that included the Maserati Ghibli, Iso Grifo, Ferrari 250 Berlinetta Bertone, and Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT. It also closely followed Eric Broadley's Lola Mk VI design, which was modified to become the Ford GT 40. It was a styling exercise that was somewhere between Marcello Gandini's Lamborghini Miura and Tom Tjaarda's Pantera. The potent engine and aerodynamic design gave the Mangusta a top speed of around 155 mph. Disc brakes at all four corners provided the stopping power.

Between 1967 and 1972, a total of 401 examples were built.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2019