De Tomaso Pantera
Exotic · De Tomaso
De Tomaso Pantera: The Ford-Powered Italian Supercar
The De Tomaso Pantera is a mid-engine sports car built in Modena from 1971 into the early 1990s, with a Ford V8 behind the seats and a wedge body by Ghia's Tom Tjaarda. Its name is Italian for "panther," and it was De Tomaso's most popular car, with about 7,260 built.
Tjaarda, an American-born designer at Carrozzeria Ghia, drew the Pantera to replace the Mangusta. It was the first De Tomaso with a steel monocoque instead of a backbone chassis. The car debuted in Modena in March 1970 and appeared at the New York Motor Show a few weeks later. The first 1971 cars used a 5.8-liter (351 cubic inch) Ford Cleveland V8 rated at 330 hp and a ZF transaxle also used in the Maserati Bora, and Car and Driver timed one at 5.5 seconds to 60 mph.
Ford sold the Pantera in the US through Lincoln-Mercury dealers starting late in 1971, when 1,007 cars arrived. Early cars had minimal rustproofing and rough fit and finish, so Ford brought in precision body stampings. The 1972½ Pantera L added a large black US-market bumper and fixed most early problems, and Road Test magazine named the 1973 Pantera its import car of the year. Ford stopped importing it in 1975 after selling around 5,500. Elvis Presley bought one in 1974, and when it wouldn't start, he fired two shots into it. That car ended up at the Petersen Automotive Museum.
De Tomaso kept building Panteras for the rest of the world. After Ford stopped making the 351 Cleveland, De Tomaso used Australian-built versions, then switched to the 351 Windsor in late 1986. The flared GT5 arrived in May 1980 and the wide-body GT5-S in November 1984. The final Pantera 90 Si of 1990 had a fuel-injected 4.9-liter Ford 302, Brembo calipers shared with the Ferrari F40, and a Marcello Gandini restyle. Only 41 were made, and 38 were sold to the public.