1972 DeTomaso Pantera

1972 Chrome Bumper Pantera

The DeTomaso story is a fascinating one. It is one worth your time looking up but this discussion is about the Pantera. The design comes from Carrozzeria Ghia and was one of the few early Mid-Engine designs that made it into production. One fascinating fact is that the Pantera was actually designed by an ex-Patriot American named Tom Tjaarda. He was a prolific designer that was responsible for over 80 significant automobiles including the Corvair, Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 series 1 and the Aston Martin Lagonda. Nevertheless, the Pantera has a fantastic pedigree.

In 1971 DeTomaso struck up a deal with Ford Motor Company to market the Pantera through the Lincoln-Mercury franchise. This relationship lasted until 1975 and resulted in over 5500 cars being sold in the United States. Our example was produced in 1972 at which time some changes were made to the 351 cubic inch Cleveland V-8. During this period, EPA was working diligently to make sure cars were polluting the air less. To conform to this, Ford lowered the compression ratio of this 4-Bolt Main Bearing V-8 from 11:1 to 8.6:1. To combat the loss of power, the more aggressive Cobra Jet camshaft from the 428 V-8 was utilized. Other performance enhancements included a dual-point ignition system and tuned factory headers. This resulted in a very drivable exotic car that had a chart-topping 0 to 60 time of 5.5 seconds. This resulted in a very successful campaign. In fact, Road Test Magazine named the Pantera Import Car of The Year in 1973 beating out offerings from Ferrari, Maserati, and Porsche.

Our example comes to us from a Central Florida collector. It is very easy to tell that this was his baby, especially with numerous detailed records. Careful not to make it too much of a "restro-mod", he kept it very original with some fantastic stealth upgrades. Probably the most significant is the installation of electric power steering. Yes, we were skeptical too when we heard about this until we drove the car. Wow, what an improvement. The most visible improvement is the GTS style chrome 17-inch wheels with modern low-profile tires mounted. This makes for a terrific handling Pantera. For the purist, the original wheels are boxed up and included along with the original air filter assembly and other significant parts.

Back to the driving experience. Motorcar Gallery has literally been buying and selling Panteras since 1985. We can honestly say that this example is the Best overall performing Pantera we have ever owned. On top of a terrific driving car, everything works! The A/C is cold. The Windows operate perfectly. The retractable antenna even works as designed. This really is a ready-to-go Pantera that can be enjoyed for years to come.

At Motorcar Gallery we have a great selection of Automobiles from Exotics to Classics to American Muscle. Each vehicle in our inventory is carefully selected to meet very demanding specifications. We have financing and leasing options available and trades are always welcome. Shipping globally is also easily arranged. Please ask us about our Automobile Storage options. Call us today for more information on this car or any of the other services we have available at 954-522-9900