De Tomaso Pantera

The De Tomaso Pantera is a great fusion of Italian exotic and American muscle in one vehicle. It was produced from 1971 to 1991 and imported Stateside until 1975. A little over 7,000 examples were made during its entire production run. I mainly plan to focus on the US-spec Pantera for this post. It is powered by a Ford 351 cu (5.8L) Cleveland V8 churning out 330 horsepower and 344 lb-ft of torque. 0 to 60 mph occurs in 5.5 seconds onto a top speed of 159 mph. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a ZF five-speed manual. When the De Tomaso Pantera was new, it was sold through the Lincoln Mercury dealer network. However, the examples initially imported to the U.S. were built with steel body panels that were prone to rusting. Next, Lincoln Mercury dealers had no clue how to repair these vehicles. On top of that, the Oil Crisis was underway, bringing up concerns regarding the Pantera's safety and emissions. As a result of this unfortunate sequence of events, Ford discontinued sales of the Pantera in the U.S. in 1975. On a more positive note, like many classic Italian sports cars, the De Tomaso Pantera has become a sought-after vehicle among collectors and continues to appreciate in value. As of now, examples on the market can fetch anywhere from $80k to $400k. To me, the De Tomaso Pantera is a truly special car, and I am absolutely intrigued whenever I spot one in real life.