If rare Italian exotics are your kind of cars, you will definitely love this immaculate 1969 De Tomaso Mangusta, scheduled to go to auction on August 30.
The car is part of Historics at Brooklands’ forthcoming sale, with the broker estimating its value somewhere between £210,000 ($350,810) – £245,000 ($411,485).
The red example is one of the 401 units of the De Tomaso Mangusta that were built between 1967 and 1971. More specifically, it is also one of over 250 units sold in the United States and one of only 250 still on the road. After residing in California for most of its life, the Mangusta has reached UK shores, where it was registered by its only second and current owner.
Despite its age and 96,000 miles (154,497 km) shown by the odometer, the seller says the car is “in magnificent condition, inside and out, cosmetically and mechanically,” and I have to say the photos support the statement. Especially since the vehicle is offered with the entire documentation going back over 30 years.
The first road car built by Argentinian racing driver, Alejandro de Tomaso, the Mangusta was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and built by Turin’s legendary coachbuilder Ghia.
Said to reach a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h), the predecessor to the De Tomaso Pantera is powered by a 4.9-liter Ford V8 engine producing 221 hp, mated to a five-speed ZF manual gearbox.
The red De Tomaso Mangusta has a grey leather interior and a standard air conditioning system – a feature not very common in those days.
PHOTOS
