1970 De Tomaso Mangusta

Tony’s Take: Regular readers will be familiar with our posts on the De Tomaso Pantera, an Italian car motivated by a number of Ford engines. The Pantera’s predecessor – the Mangusta – is a far rarer bird. The Argentinian-owned company produced just 401 “Mongeese” vs. 7,260 Panteras.

Design

As RM Sotheby’s post rightly maintains, the Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed Mangusta stands apart. “The De Tomaso is the epitome of late-1960s design: a low-slung wedge boasting a quad-headlamp nose, vast haunches, and a tail peppered with slots and vents.”

“The crowning glory is aluminium rear bodywork that hinges up, gullwing-style, to reveal the American-made power unit. As slippery as it was styling, the Mangusta was said to be good for a top speed approaching 250 km/h (155.34 mph).”

The Mangusta’s interior has all the grand touring mod cons: leather seats, air conditioning and electric windows. (Airbags and seat belts? Not so much.) That said . . .

Engine

Like all Alejandro De Tomaso’s cars, the Mangusta combined Italian style with American horsepower. The early Euro-cars – including this example up for auction – were powered by a mid-mounted 306 hp Ford 289 V8. As you can see, it delivered some impressive numbers.

Performance

The Mangusta’s no slouch or sloth – at least by the standards of its day. Equipped with Girling disc brakes, independent suspension and rack and pinion steering, the Mangusta goes, stops and (especially) handles better than many if not most of its competitors.

Comparables

The De Tomaso Mangusta has presence and [mixed] pedigree. Still, we’re not talking Ferrari or Maserati money.

Auction Estimate

In 2021, Mecum sold a U.S. spec Mangusta for $300k. In 2022, a low-mile, extra clean Mangusta only pulled $227. Did they get soft or do Mangusta’s bring less money overseas?

With the quad lights, lighter panels and the Euro-spec, this is a rare example of a rare car. If it it was in mint condition I say the price would be north of $450k. From what I can glean from the images, this ain’t that. I say this rare bear falls around $330k to $350k mark.