De Tomaso Mangusta: One of a Kind Story

Dick Ruzzin, a retired GM designer, is the owner of this very historic and one of a kind De Tomaso Mangusta. Just 401 were built, and around half of them are known to still exist. Find out why this particular example is so special. You'll also see plenty of footage of it driving and hear the exhaust note. To find out more, check out this website: deansgarage.com...
I would like to express many thanks to Dick Ruzzin for telling us this story and allowing me to experience this amazing car, as well as photographer John Banach for his assistance and providing the camera car. Check out his work here: www.johnbanachp...
Also check out the Mangusta registry at www.mangustainternational.com
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[@raycocoabeach5124]

Interesting that this piece was shot in Bloomfield Hills. In the early 70's, my father was a Buick dealer in Redford Township. He had a customer interested in trading in a Mangusta. My dad brought the car home (Bloomfield Hills) on night and we cruised down Woodward. The most exciting automotive experience of my life!

[@DtRockstar1]

Wow, very cool!! That's a very rare car now, only 400 built and I think about half of them still exist today.

[@Hot80s]

it would have destroyed anything that would try it back then

[@spoiledher]

The car is extremely beautiful!

[@ninjagarage2]

My dad used to own a sports car yard called Ace Motors in Chullora Sydney Australia. And he used to bring home awesome cars every now and again. I would sit on top of our kitchen bench and wait in anticipation for him to drive up our driveway. I was always excited to see what he would bring home. One evening while I was waiting for him, I heard this menacing sound coming down the road (Epping hwy) and was thinking to myself "I bet thats dad" And then I saw it, this low, red, aggressive looking beast of a thing creeping up the driveway. I ran as fast as I could to get a closer look. I was yelling, "dad dad dad, what is it??? He said, "it's a De Tomaso Mangusta, Get in and well go for a drive down to McDonalds" I dont think I have every been as excited as I was at that moment. I'll never forget it til the day I die. What and awesome experience and what an epic car!!!

[@Mrkingkarl1]

Mangusta more like me gusta

[@Gobbersmack]

*BOOOO*

[@fredlamprey8824]

Great video! Think the Mangusta, along with the Lamborghini Miura, are the sweetest looking exotics on the planet. Saw a Mangusta, back in 1976, in East Hampton, NY. Wish it was my black C5 Corvette doing the filming.

[@adamwebster9784]

Mangusta to me outshines the Miura in beauty

[@Chris.Davies]

Quite possibly the most gorgeous car ever designed and built. Even more beautiful than the LP400 Countach, the Mangusta can be truly loved from any, and every single angle. There is no way you can look at this thing and not fall in love. To me, it is mind-boggling the shape has not be recycled by a modern car maker.

[@leeengelsman6356]

I think the original Countach prototype was beautifull however it got real tacky over the years with add on revisions.

[@jquest43]

maserati ghibli

[@torytronrud2413]

jquest43 Designed by the same man.

[@FraBe-un4si]

​@@leeengelsman6356yeah. The last good looking one was the lp400s. After that it became very tacky.

[@SteveLouzon]

I remember riding in this car to catechism on Saturday mornings. Dick lived next door and would drive my brother and I and his 2 kids all in the passenger seat, those were the days! But most of the time his wife drove us in their Corvair.

[@myZisfantastic]

This beauty is simply gorgeous and in awesome condition! The side view is breathtaking. I love the Pantera but I have to admit the Mangusta shape is a step above. Thank you very much to the lucky owner Mr Ruzzin and to you to share this work of art!

[@tyler_schecter5805]

My grandfather owned the same car but he got his rims gold plated and gold pin stripes on the car and his car was red as well! He also met the factory manager when he went to Italy to get a replacement windscreen

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

1 of 1. A unicorn. The only Mangusta with a GM (Chevrolet) engine from the factory. Should be worth a million.

[@karenadkins4144]

I'm Stephen Adkins. In 1969 or '70 my dad, Roy Adkins, bought two wrecked Mangustas...one burned (red) unit from Oakland area, and one crashed unit...the one crashed while being delivered to Steve McQueen (orange). Roy assembled a nearly complete car (then painted Cadillac metallic cinnamon gold) from the parts of the two wrecked cars. Roy then sold the car in the LA Times classified section to a doctor in LA...he trailered it back to LA from our home in Los Altos, CA.

[@kamelkamel1751]

The most beautiful De tomaso car.

[@1946jeeplover]

Great history lesson, nice video of driving and sounds, no stupid music. Well done. The rarest of the rare.

[@pietropalmi2127]

my compliments for your video and storytelling from Italy. Thanks for remembering the Alejandro De Tomaso genius!

[@paulking54]

Brings back good memories of being outside of the Goodwood Revival festival England,in the car park, and heard a really sweet V8 approaching only to see the mangusta pull up next to my van. It was a sight for sore eyes, the guy spoke to me for a good while and I knew it was going to be a great festival!!! What a lush,unique example.

[@abbeykroeter2352]

Beautiful car. I always loved the Mangusta; any car that is less common and looks cool but rather unusual, with power, is a thrill. Some diehard Ford fans may not like that a Chevy motor is in there, but with all due respect, the Chevy engine sound matches the cars looks even better. This design has a nice blend of "exotic understatement" and modernity that contradicts its age. Ford's sound is more hot rod snarl to me, and Chevy's has a smoother, muscular note that doesn't demand "look at me".

[@gsearing]

it sounds like an Impala station wagon... :)

[@Anlushac11]

Im a Ford guy but I dont care that this Mangusta has a Chevy small block. Still is a beautiful car.

[@spendingtimetogether8428]

Wonder which is the objectively better engine?

[@katem9117]

You need the story of why DeTomasso wanted to build the Mangusta....namely that Shelby had approached him and made a deal for DeTomasso to upgrade the Cobra which Shelby backed out of. DeTomasso was angered by this and decided to build a car to defeat the Cobra...The Mangusta (Mongoose...the only animal that can kill a cobra). the story is much more detailed with retaliation by Shelby and much more. That story would have spiced this piece up quite a bit.

[@screenfixer1936]

De Tomaso with one" S"

[@italianduded1161]

I am so happy that De Tomaso stayed in Italy and made his own car instead of giving this beauty to Shelby or Ford… it would have been a waste (my opinion of course). It has of course an American engine, but it is an Italian car. Anyway yea I read that story on internet, very interesting 👍.

[@andykerr3803]

Not sure, but I believe they actually had an agreement to develop a brand new car. The Shelby Cobra was being banned. Shelby did skip out and develop the GT 40. Curiously the Pantera in private hands would later beat Shelby's later GT 40's. Caroll congratulated the driver. You'll find that 205 mph yellow Pantera on YT.

[@italianduded1161]

@@andykerr3803 I love the Pantera but the Mangusta has a special place in my heart.... nah I like both lmao

[@andykerr3803]

@@italianduded1161 It is really the similar style and format and of course the De Tomaso branding that cause comparison. U Der the skin they are very different. The Mangusta had an aluminum spine frame while the Pantera was a more rigid unibody. Both were classics on their own.

[@stigmundfreud]

What a brilliant little film and story. Stunning car and nice to see it has been owned by one guy for all these years. Stunning.

[@DtRockstar1]

Thank you for checking it out! I am happy that you enjoyed it!

[@vasilegabriel4234]

Ami place masina

[@Genjinai]

Limba romana nu iti place, fiindca te bate...

[@contactrkb]

Really needs to go to Italy and drive through the Alps, some Matt Monro playing on the stereo. I know that was a Miura but this is almost a beautiful.

[@stephenphillip5656]

🎶"On Days Like This....🎶. I cringed when they "wrecked" that Muira in the tunnel & it wasn't for some time afterwards that I learned that it was an already written-off Miura that they used! The Miura & the Mangusta sit atop in my pantheon of beautifully styled cars.

[@danilobadua7775]

AHHH its so refreshing, a throw back to my youth and era when car designers have the heart and imagination to produce automobiles that can make the heart flutter just by looking at them. One of my all time favorites, the Mangusta and Pantera! Unfortunately....I did not become rich to be able to afford them. Maybe in the next life.

[@ReaperCheGuevara]

My dad had one he raced it in the Silver State Classic Nevada Open Road Challenge. I know it was made for those short Italian's because my dad's head was touching the roof right under 6 ft tall. When you rode inside of it sounds completely different than any of the audio you can get on here it just purrs like a big cat and I'll never forget it. It's one of the lowest production cars ever made and it had so many problems and broke down all the time but it was definitely great to be a kid riding in that thing. That's cool that my dad raced it.

[@blainekelley816]

really enjoyed hearing the story of this car. thanks for posting. the mangusta has such a stunning design line ... nothing else looks this clean and beautiful. the motor sounds so strong too. #1 dream car to me. so special ...

[@newLIFEthruCHRIST]

I truly appreciate all of the time and effort you've invested to share this interview with us - it's a great story!

[@DtRockstar1]

Thank you very much! It's comments like this that are so rewarding. :)

[@johnlewis9650]

I was a car design student at Art Center in LA when it was introduced in Europe. Strother McMin our teacher saw it there and brought back pictures. He was in love with it as were all students. Such a pure perfectly proportioned form.

[@sachamo100]

Art on wheels! Thanks for sharing.

[@robertbrewer3780]

I just found you here on you tube. Love the car and the story. Thank you for bringing it to me. hope to see more.

[@DtRockstar1]

Thanks Robert! I'm hoping for lots of great video shoots this coming summer. :)

[@ROCKO633]

Love this Story,..Great Job and Very Nice Car. Congratulations on owning such a car for all the years and keeping in such Pristine Condition

[@ukere2211]

What a beautifull car! the body shape is unique!

[@investfourmore]

Love the Mangusta!

[@MrRiffraff7]

I like the Argentinian flag on the logo

[@joseluisbravodosio76]

Uso ese color en el logo porque Alejandro De Tomasso era Argentino.

[@MisterBlue50]

amazing! now that's a true classic sportscar lover! :-)

[@johnwheeler8964]

Most beautiful car ever built

[@mikedavis9130]

utterly beautiful car

[@hcarba3351232]

Beautiful and elegant car. Thank you for sharing the story !

[@richardbasey6097]

I have had black #700 since 1975...still looks very exotic today...you rarely ever see them anymore. Great for driving in a straight line...don't race it on that winding mountain road!...the Pantera handled that much better.

[@STUPIDYOUTUB00000000]

*FASCINATING! , I WOULD NEVER HAVE KNOWN THAT!* ,, *IT SOUNDS EXACTLY THE SAME! AS THE FORD CLEVELAND ENGINE!!!!*

[@zdravo4]

WOW fantastic car and great story about it. I am glad that someone who loves cars have it and take special care for it. It looks stunning!

[@vinniedayhikerb4977]

It's great seeing the places that this car is driving by in Oakland county Michigan.

[@MrTommySullivan]

Sounds like heaven.

[@bobkirk1014]

What Mr Ruzzin fails to mention is how he "fixed" the factory flaws of the function-follows-design of the Mangusta. Akin to the Lamborghini Miura, handling at speed can be quite a handful, in particular in the case of the Goose, understeer can reveal as oversteer quickly takes over, and vice versa. This is due to the cruciform design as I understand and the fixes were remarkably simple. Dick shares these upgrades with any owner who drops the dime to reach out. He is a true gentleman and I've enjoyed our brief visit and hope the future owner of my example will make my car up to the standard of daily driver it deserves. I am absolutely passionate about Italian design and American Iron to afford the git-along to avoid 8 and 12 choke Webers and retail prices for Italian motor parts now mostly being offered by the various VW franchise makers who simply wish "old Lambos" and Bentelys and their owners" didn't exist. Good to see so many positive comments! Social media too often brings out the negative in negative commenters.

[@Desertduleler_88]

Interesting car and story, I've always wanted to know a bit more about these forgotten cars...

[@RDubbayah]

My 71 Pantera came from Michigan. A university professor owned it. It won best of show at a car show that looks like it was held near where this video was shot. (judging by the buildings).

[@Stratblooz]

Dick you´re my kind of guy ! Keep on driving and enjoying that beauty :)

[@topaciot]

What a GEM 💎

[@butchisaacsen4017]

Amazing car,Thats my dream car !!!!

[@kentdouglas202]

Gorgeous car!

[@dabotz_draws]

The Mangusta is a wonderful car, as far as body shape goes. I read somewhere that its main issue was a certain lack of body stiffness, due to its monobeam structure, which is probably among the reasons someone here notes that the Panthera drove better. Thanks for showing this.

[@ninjagarage2]

Plus it's weight distribution was like 70/30 or 60/40 so it was like a pendulum.

[@dabotz_draws]

ninjagarage2 Really? I didn't expect this... usually, MR cars are kept a bit back-heavy, as with wider tires you can get a better traction, but in most cases it is something like 55/45 - or even more neutral. if it is so, a surprisingly naive mistake on De Tomaso's part.

[@MotorCityImpala2]

Da Botz Im certain that an aluminum LS Swap would really help the weight bias.

[@torytronrud2413]

Weight distribution was 38 front and 62 back, so very rear biased.

[@ragazzi25]

A dream car the Mangusta is...

[@laurent91400]

Quelle voiture magnifique ! Merci

[@aydinvideo]

Wow DT, I like this format- you should go find owners of special and unique cars (since you already meet so many at the car shows) and set them up to tell the story of their car- much like how you did here, except make it a little series.

[@opslagtanks]

Thanks, it's evening... amazing car !!

[@mikeforester3963]

2:16 OK, now I know that I'm a bonifide Giugiaro fanboi because I completely adore the shape and interior of all of these cars.

[@remusdante6772]

Looks like a Miura a little bit, is just art this car 😍😍😍

[@FreedomForce100]

Very nice car. I find the Pantera even more beautiful. Entertaining and informative video.

[@spendingtimetogether8428]

Never heard of this car before but it's gorgeous!

[@stephenphillip5656]

Growing up in the late 1960s, Lamborghini's Miura was "The Car" on my bedroom wall but DeTomaso's Mangusta nearly displaced it. 2 beautifully styled cars, it would be a difficult choice if I won the Lottery. Maybe if I'd won enough, I could have *both* in the garage!

[@nigel.w]

One of the best looking cars ever made.

[@alexioflexio8818]

what a great channel on obscure cars. nice work

[@FREEDOOOOM]

Beautiful car!

[@pali1H]

This was filmed at St. Hugo! I recognize it because I live right down the road!

[@GrayLindINDUSTRIES]

TAKE THE GRAYLIND CHALLENGE PLEASE!!! THIS IS THE BEST CAR EVER SEEN

[@billarroo1]

In 1966 or 67 not sure, 6 all aluminum De Tomaso Mangustas , came to the USA to BMD - British Motorcar Distributors in Long Beach California port, to be gone over before going to the dealers, red, yellow, pearl lime green, pearl orange, pearl white, I think blue, anyway there was at least a 1000 or more cars at any one time there so they hired a bunch of kids to move around all the cars, I was a mechanic, we were watching the Mangustas come off of the truck each one was driven inside the warehouse to a closed off area, one of the kids took the orange pearl Mangusta, Mangustas have a bad ass sound, he floored the throttle down the lot to the other end of the warehouse but couldn't stop and slid in the gravel into the wire fence, everybody's mouth dropped, the right fender was junk the hood was repaired, it took over 4 months to get the Mangusta parts to finish it off. They had a good painter and it took 2 tries to match the orange pearl, Phil was the forman a nervous guy normally smoked 4 packs a day, now ?. The kid was fired on the spot, after that specialty cars got driven by older staff members. 😆😆

[@screenfixer1936]

De Tomaso Mangusta : One of my fav. Badass car in the entire world 🇮🇹 🇺🇸 💪🏼 ❤️,,, wow my dream is to own one of these Gem one day, but i can't afford it 😓 Sono troppo povero 😅

[@wboeren1]

This is the car of Thor, lord of thunder.

[@guyjonson6364]

Prettiest sports car ever. Period

[@wzrox]

You have some realy nice video s and excellent taste of cars!!

[@DtRockstar1]

Thank you very much! Its very important to me that I am showing my audience cars that aren't normally seen on YT, so I am very happy that it is being noticed! :)

[@jquest43]

+DtRockstar1 chassis flex is a killer

[@Rob901]

Beautiful car . Never knew one was made with a Chevy engine

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

1 of 1. The only one in the world!

[@VaGar0Zz]

thank you for story and the video! amazing ;)

[@elmermt]

How much for the Megusta.

[@VF1Skullangel]

Amazing video!

[@DtRockstar1]

Thank you very much! :)

[@andreaziz5499]

Great Auto-Sport Italian Legend

[@legogeneralgrievous1173]

I saw this EXACT SAME car at a car show!

[@SeverityOne]

Absolutely gorgeous car. One advice to the video producer: mono the voice track. It's a bit annoying how it keeps swinging between the channels.

[@henrykszuplakszuplak6578]

That naughty Bill (of Kill Bill) had one. Sheer class

[@DoubleDeckerAnton]

Lovely car and fantastic drive! A one off with a chevrolet engine...unique ...!!! 👌😀👍🚘

[@keithsclassicgarage1133]

Chevy powered dream car!

[@ces4399]

Nice Goose. I heard the real reason why Bill Mitchell sold the car because Bill was simply too tall for the car. The windshield rake as much more angular than the Pantera making the windshield closer to the driver’s face than the Pantera’s windshield.

[@wcube2747]

Awesome 👍👍

[@maxmartin-merrells3723]

Great succinct and well informed video

[@hal900x]

I was wondering why it was missing that incredible Mangusta exhaust note, until he explained that it's the only one with a Chevy motor.

[@smokepskii]

cars so cool bro

[@lorianstadler6794]

air cleaner house is gorgeous....noticed the wing louvres opened up too.....i think detomaso was so broke that he had to opt to leave the louvres dummies for the sake of tooling costs......i know the prototype car had vent windows that were operable, but that didn't make it to production. The grille nacelle is a bit different on Mr. Ruzzins car also, where the partitions are between the inner lights and the air intake for the radiator. Factory or done by Mr. Ruzzin to improve airflow?

[@lorianstadler6794]

Found out that functional louvres in wings actually did see early production...had complex drainage system and were dropped shortly after production began...most likely due to tooling costs.....since the cars are hand built...this feature was probably very time consuming to effect.

[@jamesaron1967]

Amazing car!!

[@memorylane7068]

In my Pontiac Firebird research, I found where it was stated that John DeLorean had a De Tamasso Mangusta, which became the inspiration for the 1970 Firebird body style. Could John De Lorean's Mangusta have also had a GM engine?

[@Canoneosmiami]

Thanks for sharing,how much do they sell for ?

[@jimlawson7789]

Nice Pantera for $75k 5500 made then Mangusta would be way more if 10 x rarer.

[@Mad9977]

great info, cool video =)

[@lorianstadler6794]

Mr. Ruzzin.....ever toy with the idea of taking your "Goose" to a fun day @ Nurburgring? Jimi Stevens Bridgewater.............Thanks Again for Your fantastic documentation of the 'Spooky Girl" I Love......my Obsession>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[@William-Bill-Munny]

Awww the days before Big brother and the department of transportation strangulation, back when you didn't have to wear a helmet and you couldn't drive like an idiot expecting an electronic algorithm to stabilize and save your bacon.

[@Retroscoop]

Extremely beautiful exterior, 1969 clearly was quite a year when it comes to car design, but I'm less moved by the interior. I wonder why Mitchell got rid of it so soon after buying it...

[@lorianstadler6794]

Just realized that Mr Ruzzin's car is sans side marker lights....clean.....Did you do that Dick or is that the way She was delivered new?......another thing i did on mine was to shave the parking lights out of the chin and stuck round ambers behind grill i know one of those three "Geese" in Michigan....weber IDA 48's and a 38" roofline....a 70.......8MA-1134......am i warm?

[@chiefslief1886]

Love is real Nostalgia x x x

[@alexardies3171]

All the Italian ISO’s had a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray engine! 5 or even 7 litres! 🙋🏼‍♀️🏎🏎

[@revokdaryl1]

AMC made a very similar car, the AMX 3. Never went into production, but 5 prototypes were made.

[@DtRockstar1]

Yep, I just saw the first prototype a few months ago! They are going to restore it. The video is very short and the car is not running at the moment, but you can see it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqm9Y2uoj5uNf9k

[@jdesmo1]

@@DtRockstar1 The AMX 3 was designed by Giotto Bizzarini for AMC. Yes, the same Bizzarini who is considered the genius behind the Ferrari 250 GTO, the creator of the Lamborghini v12 engine, as used in the Miura, Espada and countach, the Iso Rivolta Grifo, the Bizzarini A3/C. Interestingly, the Mangusta design was originally offered by Giugiaro to Bizzarini for his new car, but he rejected the design and decided to base his new Bizzarini 5300 GT Strada on the amazing Grifo A3/C. It was then offered by Giugiaro to DeTomaso who jumped on it and called it the Mangusta

[@toddniehaus]

Were you driving in Pontiac in this video? I thought some of the video looked like it was on Telegraph.

[@lorianstadler6794]

Check out the forerunner to the Mangusta....the deTomaso Vallelunga.....50 or 52 built...similiar type sheet metal spine chassis, but a smaller, shorter wheelbase car with a Ford 1600, cross flow OHV i can't remember if they were glass or metal...check wiki .... very pretty little thing. Going to be a 100k 1967 GTO convertible hitting the pavemen t this fall.....stupid money and a highly concerted force of labor on this rotisserie resto/custom....LS-2 making 600 HP & change and roughly 500 lbs of torque...tremec six speed. all heim located Hotchkiss coil over, w/ Wilwood six piston calipers on 14 1/2" vented and drilled rotors (all four) honkin sway bars, kwiker ratio steering box, trik rear end (3:70 gears) bumpers were done a la Foose...hood scoop now functional and extension molded in.....Russ, the owner is a former deTomaso guy too, he had a 72 '"L" Pantera. His Goat is going to be hard to walk away from.....7 mos of my bodywork and the efforts of a team of others. A 62 Grand Prix and a 55 deSoto convertible w/ hemi are two others in the hatchery as well.....i'm 45 years in straightening & refinishing.....would sure be fun to do a "Goose" now that i actually know how to articulate and finesse the efforts....and i would do the same damn thing with the headlights....just no brass this time. and no straight mud.....glass compound with long hair as the sub strata and catalyzed finish glaze.....keep everything structural and waterproof.....nothing wrong with some plastic as long as it's used smartly and within reason....done right, the shit will outlast lead......oh yeah Kids....lead checks too....and it's HEAVY. Stay in the Fast Lane.....jimi

[@marcosmata8233]

Back to the Future What if a De Tomaso Mangusta would look like as a Time Machine?

[@blainekelley816]

btw - with the center-hinged, twin boot access panels to the motor, can you work on the motor w/out dropping it out of the car beyond oil changes and new plugs? What were the 'modern updates' mentioned? Thanks!

[@DtRockstar1]

I'm not really sure, I'll have to ask the owner when I see him again!

[@bobkirk1014]

essentially beams fore running aft in parallel like a US convertible has

[@Viperman200221]

Nice!

[@srtv8or109]

Beautiful toy love the history of it and out of curiosity do you go to the Woodward Cruise?

[@chillychan3548]

i never realized how pretty this car is. awesome vid! what audio set up did you use for 7:58 ? thanks!