De Tomaso Mangusta and Quentin Tarantino: the story

Even the unpredictable Alejandro De Tomaso he would hardly have imagined that one of his creations would end up in the Olympus of cinema. Yet, already in the Sixties the Argentine had decided that with his Mangusta he would challenged Ferrari and Lamborghini in the luxury sports car market. An ambitious project with a name that is anything but casual, the result of a revenge story worthy of the big screen, to the point of even striking Quentin Tarantino.

THE MONGUST

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But let’s take a step back. With Vallelunga, the Modena workshop had achieved moderate success, to the point of starting a collaboration with the entrepreneur Carroll Shelby for the creation of the P70, a great performance boat. However, the idyll between the American and De Tomaso did not last long, to the point that the volcanic Argentine soon chose to abandon the project to focus on the Mangusta, a revolutionary car born from the hand of a young man Giorgetto Giugiarothen designer at Carrozzeria Ghia.

REVENGE IN THE NAME

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Coupé with taut and sharp lines, the new De Tomaso had a unique feature: The bonnet opened like gullwings, allowing easy access to the powerful, centrally positioned Ford V8. The elegant proportions and low bodywork also gave it a sense of speed and power, helping to make it a prized piece among collectors around the world. But why the name Mongoose? Simple, it is the only animal in nature capable of standing up to the snake, which is the symbol used by Shelby for its cars. Sort of revenge on wheels towards the former business partner, as well as an attempt to make an “impression” on Ford to create the rival of the Cobra, which then materialized in the great success of the De Tomaso Pantera, heir to the Mangusta.

Kill Bill

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And we come to Tarantino. The eclectic American director – as we know – never leaves anything unturned and so does the choice of cars for his Kill Bill it was not accidental. In the second chapter of the saga, Uma Thurman must settle accounts with the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad whose boss is Bill, played by Keith Carradine. And what car does the leader of a team of killers nicknamed as snakes drive? A De Tomaso MangustaObviously. A subtle reference, which contributed to making an Italian car produced in just 400 units and now a true design icon, part of the legend of the big screen.