1969 DeTomaso Mangusta

As with many fast mid-engined cars few have actually driven, the Mangusta has a reputation for biting the hand that drives it

by Donald Osborne

Alejandro DeTomaso began racing in his native Argentina in 1951 before moving to Italy, where he drove for Maserati and OSCA.

DeTomaso’s racing experience inspired him to form his own company—DeTomaso Automobili—in Modena, Italy, in 1959, with the fledgling firm building cars for Formula Junior, Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula 1.

DeTomaso’s first road car, the Vallelunga, appeared in 1965. A pretty mid-engined coupe powered by a 1.5-liter Ford 4-cylinder engine, it was built in small numbers and was not a commercial success, but did contribute its short wheelbase and backbone chassis (extensively re-engineered) to the Mangusta.

It was the latter’s arrival in 1967 that established DeTomaso as a serious automobile manufacturer. One of the very first supercars, the Mangusta (mongoose—one of the few animals feared by the cobra…) was powered by a mid-mounted 289-ci Ford V8 (302 ci for the U.S.) driving via a ZF 5-speed transaxle.

Ghia’s...