A car that looks exactly like an Italian car should look, and that attracts attention everywhere. Unfortunately, the model's handling did not live up to its appearance, and many cars may have disappeared over the years.
Rare car model
The DeTomaso Mangusta was only made in 401 copies for the model years 1967-71. It is unknown how many are left. The model received a lot of criticism for poor driving characteristics, including being very rear-heavy. It is at least gratifying that there are cars left on Norwegian license plates. According to regnr.info, there are two. One is pictured on this page.
Model history
According to the vehicle register, the car in the pictures has a 5-litre 302 V8 which was used in the Ford Mustang and other American Fords at the same time. It is centrally located at the rear in a transaxle solution - that is, gearbox and differential in one piece. The first models used Ford's 289 engine - also a typical "Mustang engine". This produced 306 HP in the Mangusta, while the newer 302 engine only produces 230 HP according to the vehicle register. It is in history that Mangusta was exported to the USA, albeit in small numbers. The first cars were exempted from American rules, but eventually De Tomaso had to adapt the cars for the American market. This meant, among other things, a new front. In addition, the cars were delivered with Ford's 302 engine which, due to the emission requirements, could not deliver more than 230 HP.
About the pictures
All the pictures are of the same car. It has a 302ci V8 that you can study through the rear window. The main picture was taken at the Oslo Motor Show 2019. The picture of the rear of the car was taken at the Classic Motor Show Exporama. The picture with the engine cover open was taken at the Norwegian Sports Car Club's spring show 2019 at Øvrevoll.
Click on an image to view in a larger format.
Copyright notice
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