Vehicle Description
1974 De Tomaso Pantera For Sale- Documented 3,505 Miles From New
LMC is proud to offer for sale this 1974 DeTomaso Pantera The
Pantera, Italian for "Panther" was a mid-engine sports car produced
by DeTomaso of Modena, Italy from 1971 to 1992. The Pantera logo
included a version of Argentina's flag with a T-shaped symbol that
was the brand used by DeTomaso's Argentinian cattle ranching
ancestors. The car was designed at the request of Ford's Lee
Iacocca for the North American market to replace the Shelby Cobra
at specially selected Lincoln / Mercury dealerships. After the Ford
agreement ended in 1974 DeTomaso continued to build and market the
car in ever-escalating forms of performance and luxury. The
Pantera, with outlandish looks and strong performance were quite a
sight in the Mercury showrooms back in the early '70's. For a
variety of reasons, the Pantera, while gorgeous and capable, never
quite caught on the way Ford had planned, however, today there is a
huge interest as collectors realize the relative simplicity of the
Ford V-8 engine make the Pantera generally more reliable and much
less expensive to maintain than their Italian cousins of similar
vintage. Pantera's were specified with the Ford 351 cu. in.
Cleveland which had a severely underrated factory claim of 330
horsepower. The DeTomaso designed special exhaust system reportedly
gave an extra 10-20 horsepower and actual stock dynos over the
years proved the power was much closer to 380 HP. The Cleveland was
linked to the typical period Italian exoticar with the ZF
five-speed transaxle-limited-slip differential. The early Pantera
could accelerate to 60mph in 5.5 seconds according to Car and
Driver magazine and had a maximum speed of 159mph. Power-assisted
four-wheel disc brakes, double wishbone suspension, plus rack and
pinion steering were standard equipment with a 42/58 weight
distribution. To aid the handling, assistance came from the unequal
width tires front and back n6ot to mention how awesome those wide
tires on the back were for the visual stance of the Pantera. The
interior design was in the European 'grand touring' tradition and
featured body-hugging sports-car buckets. Documented by its Marti
Report, this is one of only 188 ever produced factory finished with
the ultra-collectible (code 9) Orange exterior. This DeTomaso
Pantera was assembled in January 1974 in Vignale Italy. Shipped to
Delray Motors, Delray Beach Florida and sold new on May 22, 1975.
Today this beautiful Pantera sits proudly with great presence
having been well cared for and maintained since new and in lovely
condition inside as well as out. Under the back-hatch style hood
sits the numbers matching Ford 351 Cleveland directed by the
numbers matching gated 5-speed ZF manual transmission to the
distinctive Pantera badged alloy cast wheels, mounted on its very
rare and original Goodyear Arriva Tires. The black interior is
beautifully original and overall in wonderful condition. Bright
chrome trimmed gauges show well against the black dash are nicely
angled for driver convenience. Also adding to this cars uniqueness
is the lack of a radio, as it came from the factory as radio
delete. I guess one must assume the original owner wished only to
hear clearly the music the engine made, as he upshifted and down
shifter through the gears. This very special Pantera was retained
by its loving and caring original owner until February 2nd, 2005
having covered only 2,947 miles by that time. The car is of course
fully documented by a Full Marti Report along with much more! Some
of which includes; copies of old titles and registrations, Florida
state inspections, odometer disclosure statement from the original
owner dated 2/24/2005, service invoices from Hall Pantera, plus
more. Today, the Pantera is certainly generating excitement amongst
a wide cross section of car collectors as a stable investment. The
reasoning is the same as in 1974, the Pantera delivers the
qualities of both an Italian Sports Car design coupled with the
reliability and awesome note of American Muscle. With only 3,505
miles from new and full documentation make this a truly unique
opportunity to acquire a true collectors item. Additional Details:
1974 DE TOMASO PANTERA -
