The subject of a recent comprehensive restoration
Finished in the iconic original GTS colours of red over satin black with De Tomaso decals and gold wheels
Originally supplied by Achilli Motors in Milan, Italy
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 adopted competition-specification double wishbone/coil-spring suspension all round. The Ford Motor Company was De Tomaso's partner at the time of the Pantera's introduction in 1971 and thus the Pantera, like the Mangusta, relied on Ford V8 power. Mated to a ZF all-synchro five-speed transaxle, the 351ci (5.8-litre) Cleveland engine varied in output depending on the destination market, and in European trim came with 330bhp on tap, enabling the Pantera to complete the 0-60mph (0-96km/h) sprint in a little over 5 seconds and touch 160mph (257km/h) flat out.

Styled by Tom Tjaarda at Carrozzeria Ghia, the stunning coupé body was in fact built by Carrozzeria Vignale, both companies being part of De Tomaso's empire in the early 1970s. De Tomaso's longstanding relationship with the Ford Motor Company led to an arrangement whereby the Pantera was distributed through select Lincoln-Mercury dealerships in the USA, where a lower compression, 248bhp Cleveland motor (meeting stricter emissions regulations) was introduced in 1972 on the Pantera 'L'. In 1973 the esteemed American motoring journal Road & Track named the Pantera its 'Sports Car of the Year'.

The 1974 energy crisis led to a parting of the ways between Ford and De Tomaso, who continued to sell the Pantera in Europe. At around the same time Ford ceased production of the 351ci Cleveland V8, which led to De Tomaso sourcing their engines from Ford Australia who continued to make that engine until 1982. The Australian-made engines were available in a range of power outputs up to around 355bhp.

For more information, please contact:
Adam Sykes
adam.sykes@handh.co.uk
07429600332

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