[DeTomaso] 69 goose on BAT

[Jack Dunn]

Before buying my first Pantera in 1974, I drove a used '69 Mangusta at the Houston L/M dealership (that sold Panteras). My head was on the ceiling, my forehead hit the windshield, and you could barely see out. But it was gorgeous! A Pantera was comparatively user friendly, felt much faster, and was in the same price range. So I bought a Pantera.
About 30 years later, the memory of the Mangusta's looks led to my finding a nice one, and the first thing I did was have a skid plate installed under the low hanging ZF. The Mangusta was as beautiful as I recalled, but the discomfort of driving it, lousy visibility, and the poor likelihood of ever getting the very straight bodywork repaired correctly if it got damaged led to me selling it after a few years. I don't miss it. 
As well as the criticisms listed above, the Mangusta is not fast, it doesn't handle well, but it IS beautiful. And looks count for a lot.
-------------- next part --------------
   Before buying my first Pantera in 1974, I drove a used '69 Mangusta at
   the Houston L/M dealership (that sold Panteras). My head was on the
   ceiling, my forehead hit the windshield, and you could barely see out.
   But it was gorgeous! A Pantera was comparatively user friendly, felt
   much faster, and was in the same price range. So I bought a Pantera.
   About 30 years later, the memory of the Mangusta's looks led to my
   finding a nice one, and the first thing I did was have a skid plate
   installed under the low hanging ZF. The Mangusta was as beautiful as I
   recalled, but the discomfort of driving it, lousy visibility, and the
   poor likelihood of ever getting the very straight bodywork repaired
   correctly if it got damaged led to me selling it after a few years. I
   don't miss it.
   As well as the criticisms listed above, the Mangusta is not fast, it
   doesn't handle well, but it IS beautiful. And looks count for a lot.