2001 Qvale Mangusta Convertible

Here is one of only 276 Qvale Mangusta ever built.  The car originally was going to be a De Tomaso Mangusta or Bigua.  When the Qvale family of San Francisco took over the production, the car became the Qvale Mangusta.  The body was designed by Marcello Gandini, of Lamborghini fame.  The chassis was partially designed by Enrique Scalabroni ( of Formula One fame) and Bruce Qvale.  The car was built in Modena, Italy in a special factory owned by the Qvale family.  The engine is a Ford Cobra SVT with a 4.6 liter displacement and packs 320hp.  The gearbox is a Borg Warner 5 speed gearbox.  The brake system is by Brembo with 4 pistons per caliper.  ABS and traction control are standard.  All the electrical components are by Ford.  The front and rear suspension are fully independent with upper and lower wishbones, coils springs and anti-roll bars.  Shocks are Bilstein. The rear axle is of the hydraulic limited slip variety.  Throughout the interior of the car the finest high-grade Italian leather has been used, including the dashboard. The beautiful body is made out of high-tech composite made with the RTM process – resin transfer moulding.  This makes the body not only extremely stiff but light and immune to corrosion.  The body of the car offers three distinctive styles thanks to the Rototop.  With the top fully erected you have a coupe, remove the center panel (which stows in the trunk) and you have a Targa.  Press the switch and lower the rear window section and you have a full-blown convertible.  The original Nakamichi sound system has been replaced by an Alpine unit with IPod connectivity, This particular car is two-owner, California car which has been maintained by the distributor in San Francisco.