Vehicle Description
As a child growing up in Argentina, Alejandro De Tomaso was
infatuated with motor racing and particularly the exotic machinery
from Italy. Young De Tomaso dreamed of emulating his hero Juan
Manuel Fangio, and at 23 years old, he ran his first race behind
the wheel of a seriously knackered pre-war car - believed to be an
Alfa or Bugatti. By 1957, De Tomaso had married and moved to Italy
with the ambition to be a race car constructor. He set up shop in
Modena and soon built a number of racing cars before moving on to
road-going sports cars with the lovely Vallelunga. After just 50
examples, it was replaced with the Mangusta which featured a
similar backbone chassis but with the previous Ford Cortina-spec
Kent engine replaced by a smallblock Ford V8. The Mangusta was
beautiful but flawed, as the powerful V8 caused the backbone
chassis to flex, leading to tricky high-speed handling. Despite its
reputation as a widow maker, 400 examples were sold and a good
relationship with Ford had been established. Ever determined, De
Tomaso moved on the development of the Pantera, which would eschew
its predecessor's backbone chassis in favor of a rigid unibody-type
design to ensure rigidity and predictable handling at speed.
Coinciding with the Pantera development, De Tomaso had taken
control of Carrozzeria Ghia, eventually luring the deeply talented
American Tom Tjaarda away from Pininfarina. Meanwhile across the
ocean in Detroit, Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca were busy scheming
up a new mid-engine halo car that could be sold through Ford
dealers. GM and AMC had been hinting at building their own
mid-engine sports cars, and Ford was eager to be first on the
market. Given De Tomaso's relationship with Ford, the Pantera was a
natural choice for the Blue Oval's project. It was a win-win as
Ford saved on development costs and De Tomaso had the marketing
might of Ford Motor Company to help sell his products in
Lincoln-Mercury dealers. The project was a relative success, with
over 7,000 built. Even after Ford dropped the program in 1973, De
Tomaso continued to develop and sell the Pantera until 1992! Along
the way, the Pantera has enjoyed an almost cult-like following
thanks to the ease of service, accessible performance and timeless
exotic Italian style. Built at the end of 1971, this De Tomaso
Pantera is a desirable Pre-L model that presents in very
attractive, highly original condition inside and out. This car
comes out of 14 years in a prominent collection, prior to which it
was in the hands of an obsessively meticulous collector who
performed a full mechanical rebuild to his exacting standards.
Largely unrestored save for a respray in the original white, this
chrome-bumper model features the pure, undiluted styling of the
early models and is considerably rarer than the later,
federal-bumper Pantera L. The Ghia-built coachwork is straight and
smart, with crisp features and very good fit on the doors and deck
lids. The paintwork quite attractive overall - showing just a few
very minor touchups upon close inspection. Importantly, the body
retains the correct original chrome bumpers, aluminum wiper arms,
and original plated side-view mirrors; all of which present in fine
unrestored condition. The car rides on factory Campagnolo magnesium
alloy wheels, which were designed specifically for De Tomaso, and
have become a signature of the Pantera and its successors. The
interior presents in outstanding condition, with original,
hard-wearing black upholstery on the seats, door panels and rear
bulkhead. The upholstered dash is similarly excellent, benefitting
from proper care and limited sun exposure. De Tomaso-branded Veglia
instruments are all in place and in excellent condition - with
their distinct green numerals on black faces appearing crystal
clear. The factory Italian switchgear is in fine fettle, and the
console even retains a period correct Becker Europa mounted in the
distinct vertical layout. The carpets are believed to be excellent
originals, and have been protected by good quality overmats. Even
the correct steering wheel remains in place - something rarely seen
on any Pantera, particularly the early models such as this. Beneath
the rear engine cover rests the original numbers-matching 351C-4V.
While in the hands of the 2nd to last owner, a full and meticulous
rebuild was performed with special attention paid to tractability
as much as power. The engine was completely torn down and rebuilt
with little regard to cost and it is said to make in excess of 400
horsepower, all the while remaining largely stock in appearance,
well-detailed, and utterly docile at low speeds. Even the
correct-style mufflers with quad exhaust tips were retained to keep
an original outward appearance. At the same time as the engine
rebuild, the suspension was treated to a comprehensive overhaul to
restore the sublime handling balance. Since then, it has seen only
limited use and remains in outstanding mechanical condition. It is
an absolute thrill to drive, with the extra 100-plus horsepower
getting put to good use and allowing the car to easily hang with
more exotic competitors from Italy. Far too often, we see Panteras
get heavily modified with less than desirable results. It is
therefore refreshing to find an example such as this; a car that
has been cherished from new, appears outwardly showroom standard,
yet benefits from useful and quality upgrades. The sale includes a
Deluxe Marti Report that verifies its correct specification and
colors. In the era of the Italian-American hybrid, the De Tomaso
Pantera stood above the crowd with its distinct styling and
incredible value for the money. Unmolested, matching-numbers
examples are rare and highly collectible, yet they remain a
tremendous value compared to their rivals of the day. This fine
Pantera is a lovely example that is sure to satisfy its next
keeper.
