We cannot even begin to do justice to the Qvale Mangusta's interesting history. So, we'll attempt to sum it up in a sentence. Former Maserati owner, Alejandro de Tomaso, upon soliciting a revival plan for De Tomaso from Maserati technical director Giorano Casarini, was given the suggestion to attempt an Italian TVR under the De Tomaso brandname.
The resulting creation featured a chassis fabricated from steel sheetmetal, which is visible in galvanized form when viewing the vehicle from underneath. Glass reinforced plastic, produced using the resign transfer molding process found in Alfa Romeo SZ bodywork, made up the bodywork. And the body itself was designed by none other than Marcello Gandini. Power came courtesy of a Ford SVT 32 valve V8 - the Ford connection a vestige of prior De Tomaso projects.
This car is Pristine Don't hesitate to ask questions
Mileage: only 13,168 at time of posting
Horsepower: 600
4.9 liter supercharged Ford V8 built with forged rotating assembly (just completed)
Tremec T56 6-speed Transmission
Borla Exhaust
Brembo brakes
18" Antera Wheels
Eaton 2.3 Liter Supercharger
Alpine Sound/Navigation system
Video of walk around can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/m2fCyruJ400
Click to view listing
Sorry, what was that about a supercharger? And 600hp? That should feel plenty spry in a 3,350lb roadster! And while the build was probably pretty expensive ($45k reported by the seller), it's not like Ford performance parts are all that hard to source. For some reason, we're more intrigued by this build than we are concerned. What could go wrong?
For $45,000, you get a (hopefully) reliable 600hp Gandini body with a chassis by a former Dallara engineer. Sounds like the formula for a Lamborghini, if you ask us. Taking the rarity into consideration as well, as we have to recommend that someone take the plunge with this example. And drive it across the desert, please.
