The word ‘mangusta’ is Italian for ‘mongoose’, a fierce and agile animal that can kill cobras. It was rumored that the car was so named in retaliation for a failed deal between De Tomaso and Carroll Shelby, known for his involvement with the AC Cobra.

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Alejandro de Tomaso was born in Argentina, where his paternal grandfather had emigrated from Italy. His family was politically prominent. In 1955, de Tomaso was implicated in a plot to overthrow Argentine president Juan Peron, and fled to Italy. He settled in Modena and married American heiress Isabelle Haskell.

De Tomaso drove in the first race of the Formula One World Championship of Drivers, the 1957 Argentine Grand Prix, driving a Ferrari 500, finishing 9th. He did not drive again in the 1957 World Championship series, but two weeks later drove in the 1957 Buenos Aires Grand Prix, a Formula Libre race, in partnership with Maserati driver Luigi Piotti in a Maserati 250F, again finishing 9th. He next competed in the 1957 BRDC International Trophy in September, for Automobili O.S.C.A. in an OSCA F2, but crashed in the preliminary heat. He returned to the Formula One Grand Prix circuit in 1959 for one race. He drove for O.S.C.A. in a Cooper T43, in the 1959 United States Grand Prix, and retired when his brakes failed after 13 laps.

Then Alejandro de Tomaso decided to begin making automobiles himself.

She and Alejandro de Tomasor were married within a year of their initial meeting and almost immediately co-founded De Tomaso Automobili. Though the manufacturer mostly built racing prototypes, they released their first road-going sports car– the Vallelunga in 1963. After the Vallelunga model, De Tomaso released the Mangusta in 1966 and the Pantera in 1971.

Flying the plane was James Loeb, the grandson of Albert Loeb, the founder of the investment banking firm Loeb Rhoades, which after several mergers and name changes, is the company now know as American Express. Harold Haskell, Isabelle and Amory’s father, monopolized the gunpowder market with Dupont in the first decade of the 20th century. In 1920s Paris he had mixed with various ex-pats, including the legendary writer Ernest Hemingway, who modeled his character Robert Cohn on Harold Haskell in his breakthrough novel The Sun Also Rises, published in 1926.

As the one-time owner of New Jersey’s Monmouth Park, at a time when the track would easily draw 30,000 spectators on a Saturday summer day, Harold Haskell was an important figure in the world of thoroughbred racing. The Haskell Invitational, regarded as the premier horse race after the Triple Crown, with a $1 million purse, is named after Amory Haskell Sr. and is still run every summer.

And you’ll be running every season of the year if you purchase Beverly Hills Car Club’s extremely collectible 1969 De Tomaso Mangusta that has just come out of long-term ownership.

The 1969 De Tomaso Mangusta is equipped with a manual transmission, V8 engine, four-wheel disc brakes, quadruple headlights, chrome rear bumper, Veglia instrumentation, mesh grille, side louvers, Gullwing doors covering the engine, quarter windows, and 15-inch alloy wheels dressed in BFGoodrich tires. Convenience features include an Alpine radio, Ferrero-branded steering wheel, lockable glove compartment, and sun visors with passenger vanity mirror.

Crafted by the renowned De Tomaso, the Mangusta is a limited production car that exudes exclusivity and style. With only an estimated 401 units ever built and even fewer remaining on the market today, this rare beauty is a coveted find for automotive connoisseurs. This particular Italian classic boasts a rich history, having been in the possession of the same owner since 1979.

Do not miss your opportunity to acquire such an exclusive and coveted classic sports car.

-Alex Manos, Owner