DeTomaso was a company that produced cars that inspired questions that didn’t really need answers. Is it fast? Well, look at it. But is it fast? Just listen to that engine. Is it expensive? Seriously? Look at it!
The Pantera, their best-known car, had the lines of a late ’60s super car. Purposeful in shape, pleasing to the eye, not overwrought with extras.
Then there was the Mangusta.
The DeTomaso Mangusta Spyder was produced from 1967 to 1971. It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro (the 2024 Automotive Designer of the Year) and featured a mid-engine layout, with a Ford V8 engine. Like other DeTomaso cars, the company had no hesitation to put American growl under that beautiful Italian coachwork.
There are few scale models of the Mangusta coupe, let alone the Spyder in existence, so for filling that rare niche, Tecnomodel’s Mangusta Spyder is the Model Car Hall of Fame 2024 1/18-scale Model of the Year.
Only 401 examples of the Mangusta Spyder were built, making it a very rare car. The car has a two-seat configuration and was made with a fiberglass body. Tecnomodel’s car is cast in resin, which is sort of the fiberglass of the model car world. The Mangusta was famous for its odd hood opening, hinged down the middle like the top of a car from the 1930s or earlier. The Spyder version does away with the hardtop but keeps the door frames intact. The result is an odd-looking cabriolet with some framework visible but for all intents and purposes, pretty much a 100 percent top-down experience.
The view of the interior details make you feel like you could just hop in and rip it around the track. For getting us that much closer to living the dream, the Tecnomodel DeTomaso Mangusta Spyder is inducted as the 2024 1/18-Scale Model of the Year for 2024.
The Model Car Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was held at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, on January 30, 2025. Thanks to everyone at Spielwarenmesse for having us as a part of their event.
