Qvale ( / k ə ˈ v ɑː l i / kə- VAHL -ee ) was an independent Italian car manufacturer founded in 2000 by American Bruce Qvale , the son of businessman Kjell Qvale . Qvale's sole product was the Mangusta , originally the De Tomaso Biguà. Kjell Qvale founded British Motors in 1947 in San Francisco, California and was a well known importer of European luxury cars . Kjell was the first distributor for Jaguar on the west coast and one of the founders of the San Francisco Auto Show.
17-566: Alejandro de Tomaso , an Italian car manufacturer with Argentine roots, had chosen the Biguà to revive his brand. The car was designed by Marcello Gandini , a designer for Lamborghini and Maserati . The Biguà was shown for the first time in 1996, in Geneva . Financial troubles forced De Tomaso to look for a business partner whom he found in the American Bruce Qvale, an importer and distributor of
34-473: A Ferrari 500 , finishing 9th. He did not drive again in the 1957 World Championship series, but two weeks later drove in the 1957 Buenos Aires Grand Prix , a Formula Libre race, in partnership with Maserati driver Luigi Piotti as privateers in a Maserati 250F , again finishing 9th. He next competed in the 1957 BRDC International Trophy in September, for Automobili O.S.C.A. in an OSCA F2, but crashed in
51-407: A Volkswagen Beetle transaxle . The chassis frame is a fabricated sheet and tubular steel backbone and front crossmember with the mid-mounted transmission and engine initially carrying rear suspension loads to the central beam. Tubular frame extensions were progressively added during production eventually taking all rear suspension and body loads. Suspension is racing-derived double wishbone at
68-561: A number of exclusive cars in the United States . The De Tomaso Biguà was renamed the Mangusta , a historic name (see De Tomaso Mangusta ) . As the first cars were about to be delivered, Qvale and De Tomaso parted ways. Qvale took over the factory and the car's production. De Tomaso, however, refused to allow the use of his name. The first Mangustas were delivered to their customers with De Tomaso badges, which subsequently had to be exchanged at
85-557: A prospectus as a Spider with weather equipment, Alejandro de Tomaso hoped to sell the concept to another company, but when there were no takers he commissioned Carrozzeria Fissore to build a new aluminum body on his rolling chassis . Fissore presented the resulting coupé styled by its young design chief Franco Maina at the Turin show in November 1964. As many as fifteen were built, the last few of which, unclaimed by De Tomaso, were scrapped by
102-663: Is a mid-engine sports car produced from 1964 until 1967. It was the first road going automobile manufactured by the company. The prototype has a backbone chassis with stressed member engine and formula car suspension in a barchetta body constructed in Modena. Named the Vallelunga 1500 after the Autodromo di Vallelunga racing circuit, it was shown by De Tomaso at the Turin Auto Show in 1963 and subsequently raced. Advertised in
119-540: Is sometimes seen in an Italianised form as Alessandro de Tomaso . He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 13 January 1957. He scored no championship points. He later founded the Italian sports car company De Tomaso Automobili in 1959. Alejandro de Tomaso was born in Argentina, where his paternal grandfather had emigrated from Italy. His family was politically prominent. In 1955, de Tomaso
136-635: The Benelli and Moto Guzzi motorcycle firms, the Innocenti car company (founded as an offshoot of the British Motor Corporation to build Minis in Italy), and in 1975, the celebrated sports car maker Maserati , which was rescued from bankruptcy with the assistance of the Italian government. Over time, however, many of these holdings were sold off. In 1973, Ghia was sold to Ford (who would make much use of
153-645: The coachbuilder. In 1965 production was moved to Ghia where 50 were assembled with fiberglass bodies based on Maina's design. In 1966 Ghia loaned a Vallelunga to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City for an automobile design exhibition. The engine is a 1.5 L straight-4 Ford Kent from the Cortina , tuned to a power output of 104 hp (78 kW) at 6,200 rpm with twin Weber 40DCOE2 carburetors, mated to
170-580: The company's technical trademark. De Tomaso sports cars included the Vallelunga (1963), Mangusta (1966), Pantera (1971), and Guarà (1993). De Tomaso Modena also produced luxury cars: the Deauville (1971), and Longchamp (1972). During the 1960s and 1970s, under Alejandro's leadership, De Tomaso Modena acquired a number of Italian industrial holdings. These included the Ghia and Vignale coachbuilding studios,
187-562: The dealers for the now-official Qvale logos. Between 2000 and 2002, Qvale built 284 cars, the majority of which were exported to the USA. The lack of a well-known brand name, the slowing economy, and the unusual design made marketing the car difficult. In 2003, Qvale sold the rights to the Mangusta to Britain's MG Rover Group . In 2004, MG launched the MG SV and SVR. Designed by MGSR (MG Sport & Racing,
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#1732872757358204-453: The entire rear body section on Fissore Vallelungas. On the Ghia version the rear window hinges at the front and an upholstered panel lifts out. The rear window and headlamp covers are acrylic . The aluminum fuel tank and its filler are in the front compartment. Air leaves the front-mounted radiator beneath the car, and plumbing runs through the backbone to the engine. The Vallelunga was replaced by
221-466: The front and multi-link at the rear, with front and rear anti-roll bars and concentric springs & shock absorbers. Front uprights are Standard-Triumph , rack and pinion steering is Renault , brakes are Campagnolo Amadori disc type , tires are radial 145-13 front and 175-13 rear. The small car weighs 726 kg (1,600 lb) with fiberglass body and many cast magnesium chassis components. Engine and battery are accessed by tilting back
238-739: The name). In 1993, Innocenti and Maserati were sold to Fiat (which closed the former). In 1993, de Tomaso suffered a stroke. He retired as head of De Tomaso Modena, succeeded by his son Santiago. Alejandro remained active in design work. He helped in the engineering of the sports version of the fourth generation Daihatsu Charade , introduced in 1994, which was known as the Daihatsu Charade De Tomaso. Alejandro de Tomaso died in Italy in 2003. ( key ) ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) De Tomaso Vallelunga The De Tomaso Vallelunga
255-647: The preliminary heat. He returned to the Formula One Grand Prix circuit in 1959 for one race. He drove for O.S.C.A. in a Cooper T43 , in the 1959 United States Grand Prix , and retired when his brakes failed after 13 laps. In 1959, he founded the car company De Tomaso Automobili Spa (later De Tomaso Modena). De Tomaso Automobili built prototypes and racing cars, including a Formula One car for Frank Williams ' team in 1970. Starting in 1963, De Tomaso Modena also built high-performance sports cars, most of which used aluminium backbone chassis , which were to become
272-650: The racing division of the MG Rover Group), the SV was based on the structure, suspension, engine and gearbox of the Mangusta. The car was built largely in Italy, with some fitting and pre-delivery customisation in the UK. Alejandro de Tomaso Alejandro de Tomaso (10 July 1928 in Buenos Aires – 21 May 2003 in Modena , Italy) was an Argentine racing driver and businessman. His name
289-505: Was implicated in a plot to overthrow Argentine president Juan Perón , and fled to Italy. He settled in Modena and married American heiress Isabelle Haskell. In 1957, he started his career in the car industry as a Formula One racing driver for Scuderia Centro Sud , a privateer team based in Modena. He drove in the first race of the Formula One World Championship of Drivers, the 1957 Argentine Grand Prix , driving
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