Lot 319: 1973 De Tomaso Pantera Coupé

Having established himself as a serious automobile manufacturer with the Mangusta coupé, Alejandro De Tomaso commissioned Lamborghini designer Gianpaolo Dallara to produce the chassis for his new mid-engined supercar, the Pantera. Dallara opted for unitary construction for the steel chassis/body - abandoning the Mangusta’s backbone frame - and double wishbone/coil-spring suspension all round. The Ford Motor Company was De Tomaso’s partner at this time and thus the Pantera, like the Mangusta, relied on Ford V8 power. The 351cu in (5.8-liter) Cleveland engine varied in output depending on the destination market, and in European trim came with 330bhp, or 350bhp as installed in the Pantera GTS. With either option the Pantera could sprint to 60mph in a little over 5 seconds and touch 160mph flat out. Styled by Tom Tjaarda at Carrozzeria Ghia, the stunning coupé body was in fact built by Vignale, both companies being part of the De Tomaso empire in the early 1970s. De Tomaso’s longstanding relationship with the Ford Motor Company led to an arrangement whereby the Mangusta was distributed through select Lincoln-Mercury dealerships in the USA. The 1974 energy crisis led to a parting of the ways between Ford and De Tomaso, who continued to sell the Pantera in Europe. Having commenced production in 1971, the long-lived Pantera was still around in the 1990s, by which time it had undergone a series of upgrades, the most significant being a 1990 revamp courtesy of Bertone’s Marcello Gandini, stylist of Lamborghini’s Miura and Countach.

This award-winning Pantera benefits from a complete rebuild of the original engine to 1972 (‘pre-emissions’) specification as well as refurbishment of the steering rack, transmission and tires, while the cooling system and air conditioning have been upgraded. Acquired by the present owner in 2003, the car displays a total of circa 54,000 miles on the odometer and is reported as a good daily driver that can be used with confidence. This car was a 1st place class winner at the Larz Anderson ‘Tutto Italiano’ meeting in 2004 and a 2nd place ‘Special Interest’ class winner at the Museum’s ‘American Muscle Day’ in 2005. It is offered with engine rebuild receipts, tool kit, owner’s wallet and Certificate of Title.