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The Only De Tomaso Mangusta Shelby MkV Prototype Ever Made

The De Tomaso Mangusta Shelby MkV prototype is a little known historical oddity, but it very nearly became the Ford-badged successor to the Ford GT40 that would have been sold in Ford dealers right across the country.

Alejandro De Tomaso and Carroll Shelby are said to have had two of the biggest personalities in the automotive world of the 1960s, so the fact that the men managed to work together on at least two occasions is somewhat remarkable.

Both De Tomaso and Shelby were former racing drivers turned automakers, and they both shared a similar philosophy – that of taking lightweight European cars with excellent handling and adding hefty American V8s.

The Birth Of The De Tomaso Mangusta

The two men first worked together on the failed P70 project, despite the project’s early demise it did result in two fully-functional prototypes that would form the underpinnings of the DeTomaso Mangusta – the similarly-styled De Tomaso Sport 5000 and De Tomaso P70.

Above Image: The “Shelby MkV” badging on the grille and unusual paint scheme are indicators that this is no ordinary Mangusta.

After the failure of the joint project the two men went their separate ways, Shelby onto managing Ford’s GT40 Le Mans program and De Tomaso onto developing the car that would become the Mangusta. The original design of the Mangusta was penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Carrozzeria Ghia – it was intended for a new Iso Rivolta.

For reasons unknown Renzo Rivolta rejected the design, and Alejandro DeTomaso wasted no time at all sweeping in and buying it for his own use. He would name the car the “Mangusta”, the Italian word for “Mongoose” – the only animal that hunts, kills, and eats cobras. A clear dig at Carroll Shelby and his famous Shelby Cobras.

The Creation Of The Mangusta Shelby MkV Prototype

The Mangusta was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in November 1966, shortly after an example was sent to the United States for evaluation by Ford, with Carroll Shelby playing a supporting role. The car was painted and badged with suitably Shelby-centric elements, it was named the Mark V as it was intended to be the follow-on to the famed Ford GT40 Mark IV.

Ford executives examined the car and ultimately decided not to proceed with the program, however they must have seen something they liked, as shortly thereafter they took a controlling interest in De Tomaso. Ford then paid for the development of the De Tomaso Pantera, a mid-engined supercar with a Ford V8, and sold it through select Ford dealers.

Above Image: The Mangusta has unusual engine bay lids that can both open fully to give excellent access.

It’s believed that just one De Tomaso Shelby MkV was ever built, the car you see here, and due to the surging interest in cars carrying either De Tomaso or Shelby badges this car that carries both is likely to prove popular when it rolls across the auction block.

The De Tomaso Mangusta Specifications

The De Tomaso Mangusta was produced from 1967 to 1971 with 401 built. The car used a steel backbone chassis with a load-bearing, rear-mid mounted Ford V8. Front and rear suspension was independent, the car also used disc brakes on all four corners, rack and pinion steering, and power is sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed ZF transaxle.

Two primary engine types were used in the Mangusta, the Ford 289 cu. in. V8 and the Ford 302 cu. in. V8. Initially European cars used the Ford 289 V8 with the American cars getting the Ford 302 V8, but all cars later in the production cycle were fitted with the 302.

The interior of the car was described as cosy for people under 6 feet tall and a little tight for those over. It was a well equipped vehicle though with air conditioning and power windows, leather bucket seats, and ample instrumentation.

Above Image: The De Tomaso P70 steel backbone chassis, a modified version was used on the Mangusta.

Besides the stunning good looks of the Mangusta it was perhaps most famous for its rear gullwing engine bay doors that can both be opened to offer remarkably good engine access on both sides.

The De Tomaso Mangusta Shelby MkV Prototype Shown Here

Dressed in red with white racing stripes and carrying Shelby Mk V bathing front and rear, this car is a unique piece of automotive history that many don’t know about.

Considering the sky-high prices of original Ford GT40s and Shelby Cobras it’ll be interesting to see what this one sells for when it crosses the auction block with Mecum in a few days time (at the time of writing).

The current estimate is $300,000 to $350,000 USD.

If you’d like to read more about the car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Mecum

The post The Only De Tomaso Mangusta Shelby MkV Prototype Ever Made appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/de-tomaso-mangusta-shelby-mkv-prototype/
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The 18 Wrench Leather Tool Roll by Kruk Garage

This is the popular leather tool roll by the team at Kruk Garage, each uses thick cowhide leather construction for toughness and they roll up to keep your tools safe and compact but easily accessible.

Each of of the tool rolls you see here is made by hand by Kruk Garage in Europe, they have space for up to 18 wrenches and other tools, there’s a YKK zipper compartment to hold smaller items like fuses, electrical tape, sockets, a small flashlight, some spare automotive electrical wiring and connectors, and whatever else you might need.

Kruk Garage makes their tool rolls from thick vegetable tanned leather with an antique colored metal buckle fastening, the roll measures in at 30 x 50 cm (11.8 x 19.7 inches) when open and 13 cm (5.1 inches) in diameter which makes it perfect for use both with motorcycles and cars.

Typically on any form of road trip or longer journey it’s a good idea to bring some essential tools and spares with you, particularly if you’re piloting vintage machinery.

It’s generally a good idea to pack your own tool roll based on the vehicle you’ll be using it for so you can choose the right wrench sizes, you’ll also need to choose the right fuses, and decide what other parts and tool you may need on hand.

The folks are Kruk Garage offer their tool rolls in a variety of colors, you can choose during checkout and one size is available. They do offer a range of other leather goods and their ratings are always excellent.

Visit The Store

The post The 18 Wrench Leather Tool Roll by Kruk Garage appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/leather-tool-roll-kruk/
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The Renault 5 Turbo – The World’s First Mid-Engined Hot Hatch Production Car

This Renault 5 Turbo 1 is a rare original Marlboro livery team car that was driven in the European Championship R5 Cup – a race series that was a supporting event to the Formula 1 races around the European continent in the 1980s as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 5 Turbo, sometimes known as the R5 Turbo, is one of the most unusual Renaults of the era, it was also the most powerful French car in production at the time of its launch, and it had been designed with one goal in mind – beating the best in the world in top flight rally competition.

The Renault 5 Turbo

At first glance the Renault 5 Turbo looks a lot like its namesake the Renault 5, though the Turbo variant has flared fenders and a far more purposeful aura. The real changes become apparent when you open the hood and find no engine.

Above Image: The Renault 5 Turbo 1 showing its largely vacant front engine bay.

Rather than the Renault 5’s front engine, front wheel drive layout the 5 Turbo has a turbocharged rear-mid engine powering the rear wheels. The rear engine compartment sits directly behind the driver and passenger, with cool air being fed to the intake and radiators via vents on the rear fender flares.

Engineers at Renault in the late 1970s knew they needed something special to compete with the mighty Lancia Stratos. The trouble was that they had very limited funding with which to develop a car. With this in mind they took the Renault 5 and shocked the motoring world by bolting an engine into the back, turning it into the world’s first mid-engined hot hatch production car.

Renault’s plan had originally to built 1,000 examples of the Renault 5 Turbo in order to homologate it for both Group 3 and Group 4. The factory would then build special race-only versions to compete against the Stratos and the rest of the World Rally Championship field.

Impressively, Jean Ragnotti won the Monte Carlo Rally on its first outing in the World Rally Championship in 1981 – the most prestigious rally event in the world.

Above Video: Jay Leno takes a look at the Renault R5 Turbo 2, the direct descendant of the Turbo 1.

Over the course of its competitive life the Renault 5 Turbo in a variety of configurations would win a slew of rallies including the Tour de Corse in 1982 and 1985, the Rally de Portugal in 1986, and the Renault 5 Maxi Turbo Superproduction won the French Supertouring Championship in 1984.

In the road-going version of the Renault 5 Turbo power was provided by a mid-mounted 1397cc (1.4 litre) Cléon-Fonte OHV engine with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and a Garrett AiResearch T3 turbocharger. Power output was 158 hp at 6,000 rpm with 163 lb/ft of torque at 3,250 rpm.

High performance racing versions of the car would produce upwards of 380 bhp, providing rocketship-like performance in the small, ~2,000 lb vehicle.

The production run of the Renault 5 Turbo would run from 1980 until 1986, almost 5,000 would be built across both the Turbo 1 and Turbo 2 variants, and today they’re highly sought after by collectors as possibly the world’s most extreme production hot hatch.

Above Image: The close-ratio 5-speed transmission is mounted behind the engine and feeds power to the rear wheels.

The Renault 5 Turbo 1 Shown Here

The car you see here is from 1980, the first year of production. It was dressed in period with the now legendary Marlboro livery – as shared with the Marlboro McLaren Honda F1 cars of the era.

It’s thought that this car was campaigned in period by Boy Hayje, and there is a photo in the history file showing Hayje with a Marlboro team R5 Turbo. It’s important to note that Jan Lammers and Alain Prost drove these cars at the time, and so it’s possible that all three, or any one of the three spent time behind the wheel.

After its racing career some modifications were made to the car to prepare it for street use including fitting a full set of carpets, and the Turbo 1 black leather and striped cloth seats. The car is equipped with a full roll cage, and all of the switchgear or electrics are said to be working.

Although not currently road registered the car has been put through an MOT test in the UK using the chassis number, with no advisories or defects. The car can now be road registered by the next owner if they so wish.

The car is currently being auctioned by Collecting Cars with approximately a week left to bid at the time of writing. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

The post The Renault 5 Turbo – The World’s First Mid-Engined Hot Hatch Production Car appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/renault-5-turbo-hot-hatch/
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There’s a Ferrari 412 Pick-Up/Ute For Sale – $20,000 to $27,000 USD

This is a Ferrari 412 pick-up (or a ute as they would say in Australia), it was heavily modified by Elo and Will of the London Motor Group into its current form and impressively it’s entirely affordable, with a price estimate of £15,000 to £20,000 ($20,250 to $27,000 USD).

Of course it’s always worth remembering the old adage about there being nothing more expensive than a cheap Ferrari – because of the blinding maintenance and servicing costs. However Elo and Will has largely solved this problem for the next owner by removing the Ferrari V12 and installing a 5.7 litre Chevy V8.

Now usually if you remove a V12 from a Ferrari and install and American V8 you can expect two find yourself hung, drawn, and quartered by members of the local Ferrari club. In this instance you might just escape that fate as the Ferrari 412 is typically considered one of the least-liked Ferraris of its time.

The Ferrari 412

Ferrari built the 412 from 1985 till 1989, it was the fourth and final model in its line which had started with the 365 GT4 2+2 all the way back in 1972.

Above Image: The lines of the car have been preserved remarkably well given the unusual nature of the conversion.

The car was styled by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina and although it was always controversial it must be said the it did age well in the view of many – it didn’t look a whisker out of place in 1989 a full 17 years after it had first been unveiled.

The Ferrari 412 was fitted with a 4.9 litre version of the legendary Colombo V12, with double overhead cams per bank and four valves per cylinder, it was good for 335 bhp at 6,000 rpm.

Just 576 examples of the 412 were made and surviving examples haven’t come close to approaching the value of its predecessor the Ferrari 365 GT 2+2. Although it’ll never be universally loved the 412 and its siblings have been slowly gaining in popularity in recent years.

Building The Ferrari 412 Pick-Up

You may recognize the car if you’re a regular watcher of the History Channel series “Ultimate Wheels” as the Ferrari 412 pick-up was the star of one of the show’s episodes.

Above Image: The load-bay is four and a half feet long with teak panelling.

The build started when Will bought a standard 1985 Ferrari 412 for £5,000, or about $6,700 USD. That’s obviously not a lot of money even for a 412 however the engine gremlins you may expect were all largely a moot point as the Colombo V12 was coming out early in the build and never going back in.

The decision to use the 5.7 litre Chevrolet V8 wasn’t a difficult one, it would be an order of magnitude cheaper to maintain and if future owners so wished it would be easy to add performance upgrades to match or surpass the Ferrari engine’s power output.

In order to convert the 412 to a pick-up Will and Elo cut 300mm out of the roof and modified the B-pillars to match. This left room for a four and a half foot load bed in the rear – in place of the original back seats and trunk.

The hood has been modified with a double-barreled intake for the V8, which is sure to rustle some jimmies in the Ferrari purist community.

Above Image: Although it’ll doubtless upset Ferrari purists, the car looks like quite a fun daily driver.

Teak wood panelling was used in the load bed, inspiration had been taken from luxury yachts and teak has natural anti-rot tendencies which make it ideal. In order to keep the distinctive rear of the car in place they decided to forego a fold down tailgate, though due to the fact that the car is reasonably low it’s not particularly difficult to lift items over the side.

Inside the car you’ll find two bucket seats, the interior is mostly standard apart from the steering wheel and stereo, even the original transmission location has been kept.

After it was built the Ferrari pick-up spent most of its time in the London Motor Museum. It now needs a recommissioning before any driving is attempted, and the price estimate is a reasonably affordable £15,000 to £20,000 ($20,250 to $27,000 USD) as mentioned above.

If you’d like to see more or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Bonhams, it’s due to roll across the auction block on the 20th of March in England.