American muscle meets Italian beauty: an all-time-great combination. Ford wanted a mid-engined sports car to sell in its Mercury showrooms and the De Tomaso Pantera was the result of a partnership between Henry Ford and Alejandro de Tomaso, an Argentinian small-time producer of exotic sports and racing cars.
Ford engineers took a look at the Mangusta, De Tomaso’s previous offering, and thought its backbone chassis was too weak. So Detroit-born car designer Tom Tjaarda, who had just started working for Ghia, was asked to create something more US-friendly, ready for mass production using modern unitary construction techniques. Ford would provide its 351ci Cleveland V8 engine.
Which one to buy?
Early Panteras hit the streets in 1971 and …show more content…
Thank that combination of sexy styling and easygoing V8 power.
People are now starting to appreciate the clean and uncluttered styling of the early Panteras, more than the wide-arch/big-spoilered look of the later versions. The fact that Ford’s V8 is so easy to coax more power from means that a lot of Panteras have been tuned, and anything imported from the USA will almost certainly have been modified in some way.
Cheap Pantera running costs are a popular misconception. They can be just as expensive, in some cases more so, that the more run-of-the-mill exotics. Don’t let the Ford engine fool you into thinking they’re cheap to …show more content…
They still offer good value compared with other Italian supercars, but prices are most certainly on the rise. Original and early examples are starting to be taken seriously for their classic appeal and styling – not just because they can be made to go very quickly.
Prices in the UK can start from as low as £25,000-30,000, but that will buy you something needing a lot of time and money spending on it. Realistically, £35,000 is where usable cars are found, but an exceptional fully restored Pantera could cost anything up to £75,000. GTS and GT4 models go for around £50,000-£60,000 in top condition, and any GT5 or GT5-S about £10,000 more.
A handful of right-hand-drive cars were built for the UK, and a fair amount have since been converted, and this can add a slight premium over imported models. You can still find good Panteras in Europe, or even import one from the States if you are feeling adventurous, with good cars beginning at about $40,000 and going to over $100,000 for the most desirable GTS
Ford engineers took a look at the Mangusta, De Tomaso’s previous offering, and thought its backbone chassis was too weak. So Detroit-born car designer Tom Tjaarda, who had just started working for Ghia, was asked to create something more US-friendly, ready for mass production using modern unitary construction techniques. Ford would provide its 351ci Cleveland V8 engine.
Which one to buy?
Early Panteras hit the streets in 1971 and …show more content…
Thank that combination of sexy styling and easygoing V8 power.
People are now starting to appreciate the clean and uncluttered styling of the early Panteras, more than the wide-arch/big-spoilered look of the later versions. The fact that Ford’s V8 is so easy to coax more power from means that a lot of Panteras have been tuned, and anything imported from the USA will almost certainly have been modified in some way.
Cheap Pantera running costs are a popular misconception. They can be just as expensive, in some cases more so, that the more run-of-the-mill exotics. Don’t let the Ford engine fool you into thinking they’re cheap to …show more content…
They still offer good value compared with other Italian supercars, but prices are most certainly on the rise. Original and early examples are starting to be taken seriously for their classic appeal and styling – not just because they can be made to go very quickly.
Prices in the UK can start from as low as £25,000-30,000, but that will buy you something needing a lot of time and money spending on it. Realistically, £35,000 is where usable cars are found, but an exceptional fully restored Pantera could cost anything up to £75,000. GTS and GT4 models go for around £50,000-£60,000 in top condition, and any GT5 or GT5-S about £10,000 more.
A handful of right-hand-drive cars were built for the UK, and a fair amount have since been converted, and this can add a slight premium over imported models. You can still find good Panteras in Europe, or even import one from the States if you are feeling adventurous, with good cars beginning at about $40,000 and going to over $100,000 for the most desirable GTS