Following its official unveiling in Shanghai, the Bertone Mantide has begun to make the auto show rounds, beginning with an appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed where its designer, Jason Castriota, drove the coachbuilt coupe up Lord March's driveway. The next stop on the Mantide's world tour includes a stint at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August, where the rebodied Corvette ZR1 will either be shipped or driven to Monterey by the Mantide's owner, a British ex-pat residing in the States.
Although the video after the jump doesn't reveal exactly who purchased the first of ten Mantides (he's a gentleman racer who owns a substantial car collection that includes a McLaren F1, and has raced in the Ferrari F430 Challenge Series), according to our sources, Jay Leno is potentially in the offing to receive the next production model.
Leno, who attended Goodwood earlier this month, spent a considerable amount of time with Castriota during the event and apparently fell in love with the Mantide. According to reports, Leno would be the fourth or fifth client to put an order in for the re-imagined 'Vette, at a reported cost of around $2 million. Thanks to Bradley Farrell from Kinetic Fin for the update.
Article Link:http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/22/jay-leno-could-be-second-buyer-of-bertone-mantide/