Rare American supercar was so fast it could beat anything, but now it’s pretty much impossible to get one

This rare American supercar – the Manta Mirage – is long lost to time, but it was once one of the fastest cars on earth that sent shudders through the industry for its commonly affordable price.

Back in the 70s, the supercar space was dominated by European household names that still reign supreme today.

The Lamborghini Countach, Maserati Bora, BMW M1, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and the Porsche 911 930 Turbo were just five of the quickest road-legal cars available, boasting luxury and power.

But a long-forgotten rare American supercar, the Manta Mirage, proved to be one of the biggest mix-ups in the industry, until it suddenly stopped production.

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Manta Mirage – the everyman’s supercar

America has always focused more on hearty muscle cars and off-road monsters, rather than zippy supercars that look fantastic in the hills of Italy, but would collapse after a pothole in Louisiana.

But – from time to time – American manufacturers have found winning recipes over the years.

However, most American supercar success stories have emerged from smaller garages, with scarcely known vehicles like the Falcon F7.

That’s a story pretty much like the Manta Mirage.

This incredible-looking rare American supercar was born in the 70s through a brother duo and was seriously quick. But it was also a car that was made for the common person’s budget.

Brad and Tim Levette jumped on the fiberglass craze back in the 70s to build their own Can-Am sports car.

Taking inspiration from the McLaren M8 and using a custom two-frame chassis to support a middle-engine V8, the car looked like nothing else on the road.

However, very few of these cars – and the cheaper Montage variant – were made.

Where is rare American supercar now?

Despite the car appearing to be a dream come true for many road users, given the extremely affordable prices, very few of these rare American supercars were ever made.

Unfortunately, Brad Levette passed away in a racing accident before the car design became a commercial hit, and production was soon ceased.

The car brand ran from 1974 to 1986, only producing around 1,000 cars.

This genuine American triumph that never properly got chance to shine.

Still, the impressive Manta Mirage reverberates through modern-day American supercar builds, as the boutique brand Czinger created their 21C El Mirage hypercar with an apparent design influence from Manta.