The Company We Keep
Since its inception, DeTomaso has been America’s exotic sports car marquis. Its Mangusta is no exception. Stunning, Italian-influenced body by legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, stout performance thanks to its Ford 289 or 302 V8s, a gated manual transmission like all the Italian greats, and wicked proportions: its roof was only 43” from the ground (5” shorter than either a 1990s Mazda Miata or a 2021 Lamborghini Huracan).
Yet, with 68% of its 2,911-pound curb weight carried over the rear wheels, the mid-engined coupe was horribly unbalanced. How did this happen?
Both of those hi-po V8s had iron blocks and iron heads. Aluminum engines were out there, but DeTomaso had a close working relationship with Ford Motor Company; using an iron Ford power plant was a given. Much of the bodywork was carried by the rear wheels, a result of the stunning, wedge-shaped design language favored by Giugiaro. Having left Bertone, he was head of styling for design house Ghia, which was – wait for it – owned by DeTomaso. Without these alliances, DeTomaso could have built a car prioritizing a more equal weight distribution.
Okay, it’s a little rear-heavy, but the Mangusta isn’t a bad car (just look at it!). Its story just makes for a great case study on the company we keep.
In the Bible, Judas Iscariot (the word references the town he was from) chose to betray Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark both describe Judas voluntarily going to the chief priests and establishing a deal for his betrayal of Jesus (Matthew 26:14-16 and Mark 14:10-11). It was his idea, his volition. How did this happen?
Traditionally, scholars suspect that Judas was a zealot opposed to Roman rule. If that was true, he would have been understandably disappointed that Jesus “wasted” so much time doing silly things like healing people and preaching humility and love instead of training an army and planning a violent coup. No one with fringe ideas entertains them alone. Judas probably associated with people who shared, encouraged, and strengthened his radical beliefs.
People influenced Judas. This is true for all of us, for better or for worse, isn’t it? Have you ever found yourself thinking:
“I’m way more into Austin Healeys because of all those top-down rides I had with my grandfather for all those years.”
“I probably wouldn’t have seen Ford Vs. Ferrari if my Ford friend hadn’t thrown me into her Fairline 500 and drove me to the theater to watch it with her.”
“I wouldn’t have laughed at that racist joke if someone other than my friend said it.”
Jesus got deep into the lives of imperfect people, and although the same could be said about Judas, there’s a key difference: Jesus didn’t let the filth of people like Judas (and us) stain him because of the company he kept through constant prayer with his Father, and regular reading of Scripture. He was so rooted in love, acceptance, courage, purity, and truth that the shame, jealousy, dishonesty, unfaithfulness, lust, and inappropriate jokes didn’t weigh him down – at least not until his death, when he carried it to the cross and paid its price for good.
Judas was surrounded by 11 decent disciples, and Jesus, yet he chose other people to be his main influence. We have the same choice. Talking to God, discovering what Jesus prioritized by reading his teachings in the Bible, and listening to audio books or podcasts that apply Bible truths to our lives are all excellent ways to choose who influences our thoughts.
When the time came to engineer the long front hood and rear engine covers, DeTomaso and his cohorts ended up giving the Mangusta a lightweight aluminum front cargo cover, or “frunk.” This only exaggerated the rearward weight bias. Even though the aluminum frunk brought the car’s total weight down, which is good, it served to make the problem worse. Good intentions, just like whatever Judas probably had planned for those 30 pieces of silver. Yet his plan was flawed from the start when he let figures other than Jesus influence him the most.
