De Tomaso Pantera
History
About
Ford had sought a racing and production car partnership with Ferrari, but was denied the opportunity. Ford produced the GT40 race car in order to humiliate Enzo Ferrari on the race track and partnered with Alejandro De Tomaso to produce an exotic Italian sports car with an American V8 for power. The Pantera was sold in the US at Lincoln-Mercury dealerships.
An unbeatable combination of Italian styling and American horsepower. The 1971 Pantera featured a Ford 351 Cleveland V8 engine, which produced 326hp and a top speed of 159 mph. The car was produced for more than 20 years selling more than 7,500 units.
After losing the backing of Ford, De Tomaso continued to improve the performance and luxury of the Pantera. 1980 saw the introduction of the GT5 model which included fiberglass wheel arch extensions with exposed rivet fastening system.
By 1984, the GT5 S was introduced, removing the rivets from the wheel arch extensions, providing a much cleaner look. Horsepower was increased to 350hp with the top speed now at 174 mph.
Reflecting its makers transatlantic ambitions, the Pantera came with an abundance of standard features which appeared exotic to European car buyers, such as electric windows, air conditioning and even "doors that buzz when open."
The Pantera was reesigned for the 1990 model year as the 90 Si. The supply of Ford 351 V8's had been exhausted and De Tomaso opted for a Ford 302 V8 as the replacement. Ultimately, only 38 of the 90 Si models were sold when production ended in 1993.
