De Tomaso Mangusta

"Mangusta" redirects here. For the military helicopter, see Agusta A129 Mangusta. For the later Mangusta, see Qvale Mangusta.
De Tomaso Mangusta
Overview
Manufacturer De Tomaso
Production 19671971 (401 produced)
Designer Giorgetto Giugiaro at Ghia
Body and chassis
Class Sports car
Body style 2-door coupe
Layout RMR layout
Powertrain
Engine 4.7-litre (4728 cc/289 cid) V8
5.0-litre (4949 cc/302 cid) V8
Transmission ZF 5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,500 mm (98.4 in)[1]
Length 4,275 mm (168.3 in)[1]
Width 1,834 mm (72.2 in)[1]
Height 1,100 mm (43.3 in)[1]
Curb weight 1,322 kg (2,914.5 lb)[1]
Chronology
Predecessor De Tomaso Vallelunga
Successor De Tomaso Pantera

The De Tomaso Mangusta is a sports car from Italian automobile manufacturer De Tomaso produced between 1967 and 1971.

History

The Mangusta replaced the Vallelunga model, on which its chassis was based.[2] 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"),[3] 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. The Mangusta was replaced by the much cheaper-to-build De Tomaso Pantera in 1971.

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.[4] There are reported to be approximately 250 of the 401 cars left in existence, according to the three available registries.

Specifications

Originally fitted with Ford 289 V8 engine mid-mounted 306 horsepower (228 kW) (EU version), in the North American market the Mangusta was introduced with a Ford 302 V8 engine 221 horsepower (165 kW), driving through a 5-speed ZF transaxle. Giorgetto Giugiaro designed the car, which is easily recognised by its gull wing doors over the engine and luggage compartment. Disc brakes were standard at all four corners. Four wheel independent suspension, rack & pinion steering, A/C, power windows, were ahead of other manufacturer of the time. Journalist Paul Frère claimed he achieved a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).[2]

The Mangusta was relatively inexpensive for the time but, with a 32/68 weight distribution and a less than solid chassis, suffered from stability problems and poor handling. The car was also cramped and had extremely low ground clearance.[2]

Revival

The Mangusta name was revived in the early 2000s when the concept car De Tomaso Biguà became the Qvale Mangusta, after a dispute between De Tomaso and business partner Qvale. The Qvale sold only in limited numbers.


References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "1967 De Tomaso Mangusta Technical specifications". http://www.carfolio.com''. Archived from the original on 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lawrence, Mike (1997). A to Z of Sports Cars 1945-1990. Bay View Books Ltd. ISBN 1-870979-81-8
  3. "De Tomaso 70P / Sport 5000 « QV500". Web.archive.org. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  4. "De Tomaso Mangusta Speciale « QV500". Web.archive.org. 2011-07-05. Retrieved 2012-04-14.

External links