Yahoo Autos You Can Own This De Tomaso Mangusta
The De Tomaso Pantera is an awesome vintage car, but its predecessor, the Mangusta, might actually be cooler. This rare US model is for sale, and you should buy it.
Welcome to You Must Buy, our daily look at the cars you really should be buying instead of that boring commuter sedan.
Only 401 Mangustas were built during its four-year production run-a mere fraction of the 7260 Panteras made (though it's worth noting the Pantera was in production for a lot longer). Based on the Vallelunga coupe, early Mangustas use a 289-cubic inch Ford V8, mounted behind the driver. Later cars switched to Ford's 302 V8, and gained the model's iconic side-opening dual-clamshell engine cover.
Looks are subjective, but personally, I think the curvier front end and sweeping fastback rear makes the Mangusta worlds better-looking than any version of the Pantera. This particular car is a late US-market example, and one of just 250 surviving Mangustas in existence. This car has the 302 engine, which sends 221 horsepower to the rear wheels via a gated five-speed dogleg manual transmission. Though the ad doesn't specify, it seems this car is unrestored, adding even more value.
The sellers at Aston Martin of New England are asking a hefty $395,000 to part way with this Mangusta-a fair bit more than your average Pantera. Factoring in the looks, originality, and rarity, however, and you start to see why the price is so high.
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