The De Tomaso Pantera may be the most famous car the once-proud Italian automaker built, but the Pantera only came to existence after the De Tomaso Mangusta, the first road-going car De Tomaso produced in mass quantities. Don’t be fooled by that description, though, because only 401 Mangustas were built before production stopped in 1971. Finding a Mangusta in 2018 is a rare sight. Finding one that’s still in good condition is even rarer. Fortunately, there is one that’s for sale on the Streetside Classic website.

This particular De Tomaso Mangusta is located in Tampa, Florida. It has 8,783 actual miles on it and has only had two owners since it rolled off the production line back in the late 60’s. As the story goes, the original owner of this Mangusta sold it less than a year after taking delivery. The second owner bought it in 1970, moved it to Florida from California, and has had it since. Sometime in 1979, the sports car reportedly went into long-term storage before getting taken out sometime in 2016 where it went through a full and complete restoration. As part of the restoration process, most of the surviving original components were kept intact. Those that were changed or replaced include the four original tires, though the original spare tire remains in the car. The car also retains its trademark gold paint finish.

Most of the interior components are also from the original car. These include the black leather bucket seats, factory floor mats, AM/FM radio, the glowing Veglia gauges and toggle switches, and the wood and leather steering wheel.

On the engine side of things, the Mangusta’s original 302 cubic-inch Ford V-8 engine remains intact. Its use of the 302 engine means that this particular was developed for the U.S. market with 221 horsepower on tap. For what it’s worth, the Europe version had a Ford 289 V-8 engine that produced 306 horsepower.

If you happen to be interested in this DeTomaso Mangusta, prepare to shell out $299,995. It’s a steep price to pay for a 58-year old car that isn’t a Ferrari, but there aren’t that many Mangusta’s in the world, to begin with. Your $300,000 could end up being a bargain if the prestige of the Mangusta continues to soar in the future.

References

Read our full review on the 1967-1971 De Tomaso Mangusta.