Skip advert
Advertisement
Features

A-Z Supercars: De Tomaso Pantera

In the ’70s, De Tomaso was a major supercar player, thanks to a deal with Ford

Alejandro De Tomaso’s Ford V8-powered supercar may have lacked the breeding of its Modenese contemporaries from Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati, but it never wanted for visual or aural drama. Firing up the GT5 version would have the windows of nearby houses rattling in their frames and teacups dancing on their saucers. The Pantera’s 5.8-litre V8 didn’t so much start as cough thunder.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The Pantera (Panther) was conceived as an image-boosting exercise for Ford in the early 1970s, filling the glamour vacuum left by the Le Mans-winning GT40. For the sake of expediency, its development was outsourced to De Tomaso in Italy. Ford engines were a given, of course, the 5.8-litre V8 supplying 330bhp and plenty of low-down torque through a ZF five-speeder.

Buy a DeTomaso Pantera on evo Cars for Sale

A prototype (called simply the 351) was shown at the 1970 New York Show. Styled by Ghia’s Tom Tjaarda, with chassis development carried out by ex-Lamborghini engineer Gianpaolo Dallara, the design was well received and showed great promise. With the longitudinally-installed V8 sitting ahead of the rear axle, it presented the intriguing prospect of being a major-league exotic – with all the style, performance and drama of its Italian contemporaries – but without the highly-strung temperament.

The Pantera went on sale in 1971. Unhappily, early cars were poorly made and unreliable. Elvis Presley is rumoured to have shot his after it refused to start. Despite growing acclaim for the way the car performed and handled (especially the 350bhp GTS version), Ford decided to cut its losses and stopped importing Panteras in 1975. De Tomaso moved to smaller premises in Modena and the Pantera remained largely unchanged for most of the next decade, a late evolutionary spurt coming in 1982 with the GT5 series, the last of which was sold in 1992.

Specifications

Years made 1971-1992 Engine V8, 5763cc Max power 350bhp @ 5400rpm (GT5)Torque 380lb ft @ 3400rpm 0-60mph 5.4sec Max speed 165mph Price £41,000 new,c£60-80,000 today

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8
Mercedes-AMG G63
News

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8

Some of Affalterbach’s range-toppers are swapping eight cylinders for four, but the AMG G-class retains its V8 for 2024
26 Mar 2024
The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?
Toyota GR Yaris Gen 2 – front
News

The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?

Our early impressions of the Gen 2 GR Yaris suggest that it’s an improvement in every area that counts, but can it be worth £18k more than an i20 N?
27 Mar 2024
Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader
Land Rover Defender OCTA – front
News

Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader

The OCTA promises to be the fastest, toughest and most capable Defender yet when it launches later this year
26 Mar 2024