Vehicle Description
Evolve Motors is proud to present our stunning 1973 DeTomaso
Pantera L for sale. This Pantera is a numbers-matching California
blue-plate example, assembled in July of 1973 and sold new from
Peyton Lincoln Mercury of Harbor City, California. The car spent
its entire life on the west coast until we purchased it in February
of 2014. It has been in our climate-controlled showroom ever since,
taken out for local shows on occasion. Previously owned by James
(Jimmy) Stevens, former president of Northern California�s Pantera
Club, this car is a truly special example. This particular Pantera
is an �L�, or �Lusso�. Introduced in late 1972, the Pantera L was a
significant leap forward from previous variants. The �L� featured a
front bumper with a built-in airfoil to reduce front end lift at
speed, as well as proper underbody coating was applied to the
monocoque frames to prevent rust, something that the earlier
Panteras were notorious for. This example has its original, numbers
matching Ford 351C block #05119. The ZF Gearbox is a -2 series
#007100. We rebuilt the heads on the car as we knew it had been
stationary for some time, and we thoroughly serviced the cooling
system. We reconditioned the front radiator, replaced the water
pump, and had the carburetor professionally rebuilt. The car runs
and drives extremely well. It delivers strong, smooth power
throughout the rev range, and drops back down to a healthy idle
without hesitation. The car maintains a nice even running
temperature at idle and at speed. The ZF gearbox is in perfect
working order, it�s quiet and shifts are crisp and smooth. The
exhaust is loud and throaty. The car has power mirrors, painted to
match the body. This car sports a like-new set of OEM Campagnolo
wheels with the factory delivered GoodYear Arriva tires, just the
way this car was originally delivered. The car stops nice and
straight and tracks straight down the road. While the car does have
an AC setup that appears complete we have not taken any steps to
service it. The interior is largely original. The seats are in near
perfect condition, showing supple material with perfect box
hatching. The steering wheel was replaced for clearance and suits
the car perfectly. The console, gauge cluster, switch panel and
door trim panels all show extremely well with very nice slight
patina throughout. We note a couple light cracks on the upper dash,
as was common with these cars. There is a small piece of material
in the center of the dash that covers a small crack (see pics). The
headliner, back panel and seat tracks are all very nice and
consistent. When we got the car we decided to completely repaint
the exterior at our professional body shop (Albany Auto Chicago),
as we noticed some burn marks from years of buffing on the car. The
cars body was entirely disassembled in preparation. We removed the
doors, hood, engine cover, all trim and moldings, bumpers, and
glass. The car was taken down to its original primer and metals. We
have pictures of the entire project, which can be provided upon
request. There was no rust or replaced metal anywhere on the car.
The car showed absolutely no sign of any prior accident repair,
which was pleasing. The car was hand blocked through the entire
painting process. We sprayed the car back into its original red
color using Standox (DuPonts high end) primer, base, and clears.
The car was then color sanded, buffed and reassembled. The finished
product, as you can see, is outstanding! The body lines are all
even and the panel fit is close to perfection. This car was
undercoated from the dealer so all inner panels, wells, and engine
bay panels are in excellent condition, free of rust. We heated and
removed the undercoating from the engine bay so that we could
respray it black. Additionally, the bumpers were reconditioned and
look fantastic. This is surely one of the finest '73 Panteras we�ve
come across. The paint work is concours-quality and the entire
package is stunning.
