[DeTomaso] RRORR vs. Mangusta 8MA898 Report... The Rest of the Story....

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/19/07 11:02:35 PM, Gary Bartley writes:


> Earlier Mike Drew had
> filled me in on a Mangusta successfully raced in England by Freddie Moss
> wearing # 12.  We requested #12 but it was not available so we selected
> #112 as a sort of tribute to the racing history of Mangustas.
> 

>>>I was searching through my archives tonight looking for something else 
(consisting of several big boxes filled with envelopes stuffed with photos, 
dating back almost 20 years), and I found an envelope I got back in 1999 from 
George Gordon-Smith, the subsequent owner of the Freddie Moss race Mangusta.   
Inside were several action shots taken when Freddie was driving it enroute to the 
UK national championship.

He had made several modifications to the car, not all of them good.   It 
benefited greatly from a six-point roll cage, and the stock brakes were replaced 
with giant stoppers from a March Indycar.   But he also molded big flares and a 
spoiler on the engine hatches, completely formed out of bondo!   Probably a 
hundred pounds of the stuff, on a car that was already far too 
rear-weight-heavy.

Come to think of it, I wonder how he was able to get the engine hatches open? 
  It seems to me that the inner portions of the molded spoiler would hit one 
another?

Here are some of the photos I found....

http://members.aol.com/mikeldrew/FreddieMossRaceMangusta.jpg

George fully restored this car back to street trim, enjoyed it for a dozen 
years or so, and then sold it to a fellow who couldn't possibly afford to own it 
(he was a kid still living with his parents in an apartment, who had borrowed 
all the money to buy the car).   He quickly discovered that the car was 
expensive to own and operate, and after a short time, it's now for sale again.

This is one of the ten RHD Mangustas made; I believe the final ten cars were 
all RHD.

Mike


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