The designer of the Mangusta
Giorgetto Giugiaro: Designer of the De Tomaso Mangusta
Considered one of the most iconic shapes of late 1960s Italian automotive design, the De Tomaso Mangusta stands as a landmark creation by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Penning its striking proportions during his brief yet brilliant tenure at Carrozzeria Ghia, Giugiaro defined a dramatic mid-engine architecture that remains immediately recognizable today. The Mangusta perfectly captures the transitional era when rounded vintage contours gave way to the sharp, aggressive lines that dominated 1970s supercar design.
A New Talent at Carrozzeria Ghia (1966)
In 1966, Alejandro de Tomaso took control of Carrozzeria Ghia and found in young designer Giorgetto Giugiaro the talent capable of shaping his ambition: a successor to the P70 prototype, originally developed with Carroll Shelby as a potential replacement for the Cobra before Shelby withdrew from the project.
The name “Mangusta” — Italian for mongoose — was a direct nod to this rivalry: the mongoose being one of the few natural predators of the cobra.
A Design Signature: The Butterfly Engine Covers
Giugiaro designed a clean, low-slung steel body standing just 43 inches tall, distinguished by its ultra-wide rear track and aggressively raked windscreen.
.jpg)
However, the car's ultimate stylistic hallmark is its dual gullwing engine covers — often referred to as “butterfly” hatches — hinged along a central spine that runs through the rear glass. This layout provided unobstructed access to the mid-mounted Ford V8 engine and spare wheel, creating a dramatic visual signature when opened and cementing the Mangusta as a masterpiece of industrial art.
From Ghia to Italdesign
The Mangusta was one of Giugiaro's final masterworks for Ghia before his departure in 1967. Following his exit, he initially set up Ital Styling before partnering with engineer Aldo Mantovani on February 13, 1968, to establish SIRP (Studi Italiani Realizzazione Prototipi), the entity that soon evolved into Italdesign.
The stylistic principles debuted on the Mangusta — geometric precision, low beltlines, and clean surface tension — became the foundational DNA for Italdesign's seminal work throughout the 1970s, making the Mangusta a pivotal bridge in Giugiaro's legendary career.