[TKing]

I owned a 1969 Mangusta in the mid-seventies in Germany. The car looked great, but wasn't a great car.

I don't have many good memories of the car because it was routinely needed repair. The Girling brake calibers were a soft aluminum and the steel backing plate of the disc pads would wear a notch in the caliber and would not move the pad to the rotor (causing little or no brakes). The frame was soft so when the car was jacked you couldn't open the door. The windshield was steeply raked which means your forehead would constantly hit the top of the windshield. The driving position was strange. The steering wheel was far away (arms straight out), but the pedals were close. The cabin was short from dash to behind the seat bulkhead, but the distance from door to door very wide. The ZF transmission was notchy and impossible to shift quickly. Although the body was aluminum, the car had many issues with rust.

Parts were not expensive because the Ford engine and Fiat electrical parts.

Sometimes it is more fun to dream of exotic cars than to own one.

TKing