Our kind of Q car
For us, De Tomaso is one of the most electrifying car brands of them all – its twisted, turbulent history make it even more appealing. That’s also the reason why we cannot stop looking at this rare little V8 sports car, even though it does not even carry the De Tomaso badge. Designed by maestro Marcello Gandini, the De Tomaso Biguà concept debuted in Geneva in 1996, but when production started in Modena in 1999, the car had changed its brand name to Qvale Mangusta, after the struggling De Tomaso brand and the American investors of the Qvale family had parted ways. Powered by a 4.6-litre Ford V8, the coupé with its folding roof was praised for its agility, handling and sound. But in the end, less than 300 cars were built. Despite its rarity, even low-mileage cars like this Canadian example are still rather affordable.
Rare gem
There’s a theory saying that any person on the planet can be connected to any other person through a chain of no more than five acquaintances. Sometimes we feel that might also true for automobiles – and this 2007 MG SV-R is the perfect example. In fact, the car’s story began when MG/Rover acquired a certain Italian make called Qvale and chose its little V8 sportscar by the name of Mangusta as the basis for a new, Italo-British MG supercar. Designed by Peter Stevenson, father of the McLaren F1, the MG SV used a box-frame chassis, carbon-fibre body panels and a Ford V8 engine producing 320 hp, even 385 hp in the more powerful MG SV-R. This stunning example in Mirror Silver over a red-and-black interior is not only the last of only 42 SV-Rs built, it is also one of only 23 left-hand drive cars. While slightly more costly than the Qvale Mangusta, we think these siblings would form a very quirky 2-car garage.
Black Olive over Cappuccino
We might all feel like individuals, detached from the mainstream by our independent style of living. But like the German film director Helmut Dietl once said: “Whatever – in the end they all want a f***ing light-flooded loft in an old building.” Same might be true for cars: We talk about Qvale Mangustas and MG SV-Rs over pints in our local pub, but when the going gets tough, we follow the crowd and spend our hard-earned bucks for a classic Porsche 911. Or a Land Rover Defender. Well, and who could blame us? Anyway, this highly instagrammable, Black-Olive-over-Cappuccino dreamboat of a 2007 Defender 90 Td4 has been customized by House of Cool and is now offered for sale in Portugal. And what a coincidence – didn’t you play with the idea of moving to Lisbon with your digital startup anyway? Because of the laid-back lifestyle? And the low taxes? We thought so…
Sensual, Seductive, Siata
So your Ferrari 250 GTO is one of only 36 cars ever built? Well, good luck finding it on the Pebble Beach parking lot! Luckily, this Siata 208 CS should be a bit simpler to track down, as just 18 cars were built and only nine of them were bodied by Boano. But hands down: We don’t think there’s a more sensual and seductive 1950s Italian sportscar than a Siata 208 CS! Just look at that wavy front surging across the road, look at that low-slung roof line, those leather-clad racing seats! If that’s not perfection, we don’t know what is. This dark blue beauty is coming up for auction with RM Sotheby’s in Monterey – if only…
Rennsport icon in Seeblau
Porsche is celebrating its 75th birthday this year – so why don’t you join the party and buy yourself a verified Rennsport icon to crown your collection? This mind-blowing 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.8 RSR is one of only 55 race cars that were built by the Porsche Rennabteilung, it was raced successfully by different privateers all across France before it started at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1975 where it scored at respectable 10th position in Group 4. Painted in an alluring Seeblau with red accents and legible for all FIA historic racing events, the RSR is now for sale with Mechatronik’s Cartique – and ready to return to Le Mans or the Tour Auto.
