Vehicle Description
Car can be seen on Hotrodcollection .com
We welcome Trade-ins 351 CI V-8 engine
5-speed manual transmission
Yellow exterior-1 of 225 produced
Factory AC
Black interior
Gated shifter
Bucket seats
Veglia gauges
This 1974 Pantera is one of just 225 produced in yellow and
features a black interior with bucket seats. The bright metal gated
shifter sits in the center console, and the famous green-font
gauges by Veglia inform the driver of vehicle vitals. Situated
right behind the passenger cell is a 351 CI V-8 engine and 5-speed
manual transmission, all of which have been placed in a compartment
painted to match the exterior. Rolling on low-profile tires with
alloy wheels, this Pantera's hard to miss.
The Pantera served as DeTomaso's most successful vehicle, thanks
largely to the marketing and importation effort by Ford. DeTomaso
used Ghia styling studios to design the body and interior of the
Pantera and relied on Ford to supply the 351 CI V-8 engine and
5-speed manual transmission. Placing the engine forward of the rear
axle gave the Pantera a true midengine layout, which provided
spectacular handling. Equipped with air conditioning, power windows
and an AM/FM stereo system immediately gave the Pantera an edge
over pricier competition, not to mention Ford's nationwide network
of dealers ready and able to service the car should mishaps occur
on road trips.
Ford began sunsetting the importation of Pantera in 1975 with
somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 units sold through
Lincoln-Mercury dealerships since 1971. Stickering for just north
of $10,000, the DeTomaso Pantera could cause some sticker shock
among Ford's more traditional Lincoln and Mercury customers, but
when considering its design, engineering and equipment level, and
comparing that to the more costly Ferrari 246 Dino, Lamborghini
Jarama, Maserati Ghibli and Bora, and other high-end European
exotics, the Pantera came off like a bargain.
