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Built from a defunct Bizzarrini race-car, the Manta is one of the more radical prototypes from the sixties. Not only does this sleek supercar use a Le-Mans-raced chassis, it is one of the first in the world to use a triple seat arrangement. Futhermore, it was the very first car styled by Giorgietto Giugiaro which would later lead to a tremendous design career.
Inside the cockpit is an odd layout that seats the driver in the middle of the interior with a passenger on either side. The idea was copied from a Ferrari 365 prototype built in 1965 and it was later, more popularly revived with the mighty McLaren F1. With three people seated side-by-side it must be a particularly tight squeeze as much of the available passger footspace is occupied by intrusive wheel wells.

Giorgietto Giugiaro had a personal interest in the car from its inception and he drew up a plan with Giotto Bizzarrini to use his most developed chassis for a radical showcar. This chassis, borrowed from the P538 prototype, was a tubular steel design that was meant to endure the hardship of Lemans and the grunt from a fully tuned Chevrolet V8.

An angular body, somewhat of a 'folded paper' design, was fixed on the chassis and finished up in time for the 1968 Turin Motorshow. A coat of lime green paint ensured that everyone had to look twice.

After the show, the striking lime green paint was covered up with a more sedate metallic silver and the car stayed this way for most of its life. Only recently in 2005 did the Manta make a grand return at the Pebble Beach Concours. Fully restored and bearing its original paint scheme, details such as the orange engine vents could be admired once again. Deservedly, it won first in class for Class U, Chevrolet Small Block with European Coachwork.