Bertone Mantide Production Expanded to 10 Units, gets $2million Price Tag - Report

Bertone Mantide

Based on the Corvette ZR1

By Michael Gauthier
May 4, 2009 11:17 AM
Filed Under: American, Tuners

Bertone's wildly styled Mantide is inching closer to production as the company's design director, Jason Castriota, hinted that Bertone is considering producing as many as 10 units.

Castriota also went on to say that the Mantide would sport a two million dollar price tag (about 1,500,000 euros) and "...there is considerable interest around the world as we have been contacted by potential clients in Asia, Europe and America."

The Corvette ZR1-based concept originally appeared at last month's Shanghai Motor Show as a one-off design study and features a highly controversial carbon fiber exterior with oddly shaped aerodynamic protrusions which reduce drag and improve downforce. Power is provided by the ZR1's 638 horsepower 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine which enables the lightweight Mantide to run from 0-62 mph in just 3.2 seconds and boast a top speed of 351 km/h (217 mph).

Source: nytimes via carscoop

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Tags: Bertone Mantide, Bertone, Mantide, Corvette ZR1

Comments

AOS

May 4, 2009 11:59 AM

WoW for a piece of work fell off as soon as you see the front and for something with GM's technical advancement 1.5m euros, I guess he just want to retire early or I am just to plain and average to see his artistic value, ha.

Citizen_Cake

May 4, 2009 12:04 PM

I would ask Bertone to re-design the rims before he sold it to me.

zdenda20

May 4, 2009 2:40 PM

I would ask Bertone to re-design the whole thing and make it look like a ZR1 and lower the price tag by about 1.9 mill...seriously pointless car this one

For anyone interested, I would be willing to sell a ZDENDA20 special edition, re-designed BMW 6-series for *ONLY* 1 million USD!!!!

kenta

May 4, 2009 1:03 PM

For a car made off fiber-glass put on the chasis of a corvette, ... why I shouldn't do it myself and save 1.9 million.

I don't think it deserves that price. Or maybe it is the trick to announces the price like that but sell around 0.5 million to the real buyer. Still buyer can be proud that he got a 2 million $ car for a supremely cheap price. ... hmmmm

Renegade

May 4, 2009 3:20 PM

I'il take the normal ZR1, thank you very much, the preps can have all this Bertone cars.

Edited by user on May 4, 2009 at 3:21 PM

sideskraper

May 4, 2009 3:24 PM

1.9m euro buys a lot of carbon fibre ;)

GM should simply buy the rights to the design and have a car with the styling that can finally take the corvette global at a decent price (read: e150k vs e2m). the non US (euro/rhd) markets struggle with the 'vette styling/finish.

come on gm stop wasting the 'vette on just the USA !

Edited by user on May 4, 2009 at 3:25 PM

Renegade

May 4, 2009 3:59 PM

Umm, I like the 'vette how it is now, but a few design touches are welcomed, maybe a production version of the Corvette Centennial Stingray Concept would be better then this insect, most people loved that car, I'm sure many europeans loved it to, so maybe GM should give it a try with that and in the same time to keep the Corvette they have now as a "Corvette Classic" and see witch car sells better.

sideskraper

May 4, 2009 4:17 PM

well that's what i'm saying. corvette classic for the usa, something with more contemporary styling (clean sheet, like this attempt or the perana) under a different badge name for the rest of the world.

Renegade

May 4, 2009 4:29 PM

Nope, everybody should be able to buy the Classic Corvette, and the other one let's call it Corvette Stingray, or C Stingray, or just Corvette and the classic one Corvette Classic. The US market have been discriminated already by it's car makers, check out Ford Falcon, Buick Regal, Ford Focus RS and others.

Edited by user on May 4, 2009 at 4:33 PM

sideskraper

May 4, 2009 5:12 PM

well thats my point, in a lot of places the current corvette doesnt make a compelling enough of an argument for it to be on sale or on sale in decent volumes or via non parallel avenues. the corvette can't be marketed in many places outside of the USA to distinguish the vehicle or justify regulation/marketing compliant.

engineer the styling/comfort/etc to a different standard/brief and the chassis/drivetrain will be marketable in many new markets.

sure put the revised model for sale in the USA, i was precluding that. i was talking about target markets not sale markets. you can bet your bottom dollar though, that a hypothetical car targeted at non USA markets wouldnt sell stateside. "why would i pay 2-3x as much for a zr1?"

kritik

May 4, 2009 3:25 PM

does anyone seriously read "2 million" when they see this. I agree with kenta think it is a marketing ploy to get buyers interested then sell it for a lot cheaper and that is if it actually does make it into production.I mean the Aston Martin one 77 is alot better looking than this and also cheaper but it too is having a tough time making it into production. Even though there are only going to be 10 units of this put into production why multiply "ugly" by 10?

Prince_Ash

May 4, 2009 3:35 PM

ugly by 10! lol still i think the rear end should be the front, and the front should be changed completely to something that resembles maybe a... Vanquish. and use diffirent mags, then maybe just maybe it would be worth 1mil ? at most.

sideskraper

May 4, 2009 3:41 PM

if the rear looked like the front you'd have the audi a7 concept ;)

Prince_Ash

May 4, 2009 3:36 PM

actually on second note, 500,000$ would be better.

jdmgtr

May 4, 2009 5:36 PM

For that price I could buy a beautiful Enzo, or a 275GTB, or a garage full of all the series of GT-R's... I'll pass on this ugly hunk o junk, thanks.

andy

May 4, 2009 7:48 PM

this is what we call : american madness !!! if they can sell one of those 10 ugly pigs, they would close the company right away, aha ..make 2 million easy eh, ??? did they just copy some transformer concepts then put it on vette ?

Renegade

May 4, 2009 7:51 PM

Since when Bertone it's american?

mortz

May 5, 2009 4:50 AM

Id rather save my money and buy the ZR1, the design aspect of this car is a little over done for my likings and i just cant get over the odd shaped wheel arches and also the dotted vents. but in some of the angles from the rear it doesn't look to bad at all.

Anthropos

May 5, 2009 5:45 AM

Since the first pictures came out i've been trying to find a little beauty in this design, a bit of art.... but I have to conclude it's simply UGLY!!!

Kakaofos

May 5, 2009 10:15 AM

This is realy fresh design. It does not similar to Ferrari, Lambo or Porsche. Excellent job to maestro. But $2 million is inadequate price tag for car's design even to famous brand.

joelynn

May 5, 2009 12:30 PM

to own one of just 10 cars that look completely different to anything else on the road is a rare opportunity BUT $2 million seems a little excessive- thats a One-77 and a Reventon!

alexyn

May 5, 2009 9:42 PM

Hmmmm... it looks so strange. Like a B series sci-fiction picture car.

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