Project Description
De Tomaso Pantera
An early production De Tomaso Pantera
Price
SOLDYear
1973Mls/Kms
14,148* kilometersSold in
GermanyHistory File
Produced for over two decades from 1971 – 1992 the vast majority of Pantera’s (Panther in Italian) were sold to the United States of America and distributed by American Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. Incredibly, from around 7260 units ever produced, around 5500 cars were shipped to the America in the early years between 1972 and 1975 before the US agreement came to an end at the end of 1975. From here, De Tomaso (still with the rights to distribute to Europe) would continue to produce the Pantera in smaller numbers with an emphasis on Europe and the Rest of the World market. This early 1973 example, with chassis number THPNNA 05868 was imported to German by a prominent Classic Car dealer before being sold to a collector in 2010. The German Kraftfahrzeug Brief shows the initial owner as Vehicle Documentation Services GmbH (for a period of just one month) who completed the transition for the esteemed new German owner. As part of an exclusive collection, the car has been regularly driven and maintained by a team of experts.
Exterior
It’s an aggressive looking car which used a steel monocoque Ghia (US born Tom Tjaarda) design, and was a departure from its sleek Mangusta predecessor. Aficionados will see the T shaped Pantera Logo with its inverted blue and white flag which was a celebration to the company’s founder Alejandro’s Argentinean heritage. Finished in solid black, this incredible example will turn heads where ever it goes; with its distinctive high rear-end and prominent twin exhaust, sitting behind one at the traffic lights is quite an experience! The fresh black paint is over a decade old now and is still presenting beautifully well.
Interior
It’s a busy looking cockpit with all dials easy to read, especially the four centre console displays. The unmarked black leather seats, with adjustable head restraints, are like new condition, as is the immaculate black leather with red stitching Momo steering wheel. Look above and the tight headlining is commensurate with such a well maintained example. The kilometer Tachometer shows* 14,148 km’s but has been changed for European driving at some stage. The Fahrenheit temperature gauge confirms the cars original US heritage.
Engine & Transmission
The first Pantera models were powered by a 5.8 Litre Ford Cleveland V8 engine with a power output of 335ps (246 kW /330 hp) and this car is no exception. The high torque provided by the Ford unit reduced the need for excessive gear changing at low speeds which made the car much easier to drive in urban conditions in comparison to some its more prominent Italian competitors. The 5 speed ZF manual transmission with off-set shift requires precise shift moves but, once mastered, is an absolute blast. In recent times, the cooling system has been overhauled with a stronger water pump fitted. The car was also shipped to De Tomaso specialist Ruch in Switzerland where they fitted a larger oil sump and completed a full cam-shaft overhaul.
Wheels, Tyres & Brakes
The factory front and rear 15” De Tomaso emblem alloy wheels are in un-marked, restored condition and are covered in Michelin 225/50 ZR15 tyres at the front, and Yokohama 285/40 ZR15 at the rear. The powerful ventilated 279mm front and 284mm rear (all round disk) brakes pull the car up well and straight.
Underneath
