1968 De Tomaso Mangusta
Owner: Michael Fisher Photography: Rick Guest / Bob Rae
This stunning shape, crafted from the pen of a youthful Giorgetto Giugiaro during his days at Carrozzeria Ghia, blends American power with Italian supercar theatre like few other automobiles.
Formed out of the ashes of a stalled Can-Am deal with Carroll Shelby, this scintillating De Tomaso Mangusta supercar was powered by either a 4.7- or 4.9-litre Ford V8, and was good enough for between 230bhp and 306bhp. The mid-engined machine was built over a steel-backbone chassis and makes few concessions to comfort, but with a kerbweight of a mere 1300kg, it is extremely rapid for the era. Just 401 Mangustas were ever made, with only 150 staying in Europe.
The Mangusta played a key role in establishing De Tomaso in the US, eventually leading to the tie-up with Ford to produce the Pantera. This particular car starred in the video for Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out of My Head, albeit in a different colour. As profiled in a recent Magneto article, the car has been thoroughly restored over several years, to the exquisite condition you see it in at Concours on Savile Row.
Power: 306bhp | Top speed: 155mph | 0-60mph: 5.6 seconds