The
2009 Bertone Mantide will be auctioned off this Wednesday thanks to Worldwide
Auctioneers. We
previously wrote about the one-off Mantide back in October when it was being
sold by Autosport Designs in Long Island. It remains unclear how the car ended
up in the hands of Worldwide Auctioneers but there’s little doubt it will
attract some interest when it hits the auction block.
Bertone,
one of the industry’s best-known design firms, unveiled the Mantide at the
Shanghai Auto Show back in 2009. The car was subsequently shown off at a series
of events around the world, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Pebble
Beach Concours d’Elegance. Originally, the car was painted red but shortly
after it was done with its official duties, the owner had it painted Bianco Fuji
and it has remained in that color ever since.
At
the same time as the paint overhaul, the interior was re-trimmed in red and
black Alcantara with a Pioneer audio system also installed. Powering the Mantide is the same
supercharged V8 engine as the C6-generation Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, good for
638 hp, reportedly enough to send the car to 100 km/h in a mere 3.2
seconds and a 351 km/h top speed. Bertone had intended on building 10
examples for customers but only ever built one.
The
auction house hasn’t listed details about the vehicle’s mileage but when
recently publicized by Autosport Designs, it was claimed the car had 16,093 km on the clock.
