For Sale: 1973 DeTomaso Pantera in Chicago, Illinois

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.