When I was in high-school, one of the rich kid underclassmen showed up at school one morning being driven by his father in a new DeTomaso Pantera. I didn’t know what it was but I liked it. It had that uber-stylish, svelte “had to be Italian” bearing about it but it didn’t sound Italian. It sounded just like the ’71 Mustang Mach 1 that this other rich kid classmate of mine owned. I was smitten and have been ever since. That being the case, let’s take a look at a ’74 DeTomaso Pantera, located in Katonah, New York and available here on Bring A Trailer for a current bid of $50,000, six days to go with the bidding.
The DeTomaso Pantera (Italian for Panther) was produced by DeTomaso between 1971 and 1992. From ’71 through ’75, DeTomaso had an alignment with Ford Motor Company where Ford provided the engine, the Panteras were built to U.S. spec and sold in the U.S. by Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. Total U.S. sales over the five year period were about 5,000 units. A mid-engined, V8, Italian two-seater was pretty heady stuff in ’71. Chevrolet had been talking about a mid-engine Corvette for a few years at that point but it took until this year, 2020, to actually make it a reality.
Right from the get-go, there are four YouTube videos available via the listing and they should be reviewed:
Additionally, there are about 160 images included and this Marti report.
The most notable thing about the ’74 Pantera is its front safety bumper (we’ve had quite a few discussions lately about Federal bumper standards as they related to both a Datsun 240Z and a Ford/Mercury Capri). It’s definitely out there and obvious but it really is not as out-sized ugly on this automobile as it is on some cars from this era. Most importantly, it does not detract from the clean, straight lines of this Pantera and its strong yellow finish. While the finish is a repaint, it is approximately ten years old and this Pantera is one 0f only 225 finished in this shade of yellow for ’74. The original Carrozzeria Ghia coachwork badges have been reattached to the fenders to help with the authenticity. The underside of this Pantera is super clean, no aspect of it is out of order. There really are no detectible exterior blemishes, dents, accident damage, faded paint, rot, etc.
The interior is similar in scope to the exterior, it oozes Italian design and craftsmanship. The only item out of sort is a crack in the dashboard pad and I imagine sourcing another would be a challenge. The upholstery in this Pantera appears as new and all of the switchgear and instruments, including the power radio antenna, perform as designed. The seller states that the original York A/C compressor has been ditched for a more reliable Sanden and the A/C works as expected. Notice the chrome shift gate, a great touch!
What makes a Pantera, a Pantera is what’s under the boot, a magnificent Ford 351 CI “Cleveland” V8. Going on the assumption that this motor is a U.S. spec emission control engine would place it in the 266 net HP range. There is a long list of engine mods listed, however, that detail what went into this power plant at rebuilding time. I imagine this V8 is quite a bit stronger now than it was when new – it sounds fantastic. It is connected, as usual, to a five-speed ZF transaxle. One issue of concern, and that’s the mileage. The seller mentions that the odometer was “reset” when this Pantera was refurbished and the odometer now shows 4K miles – seems a bit suspicious.
Yes, I really like this car and I don’t like yellow but it doesn’t matter in this case. It’s too rich for my blood but it is one of the nicest examples that I have come across in a long time – Panteras just aren’t seen much anymore but having low production numbers and produced so long ago, that is to be expected. I know the small bumper equipped versions usually trade for more than the large bumper models like this example so it will be interesting to watch the bidding. It’s funny but the one thing that I remember most vividly about my classmate’s Pantera is that when he got out of the car, I was standing right behind it, drinking in the fabulous engine sound and then I spied a roll of toilet paper through the rear glass perched right next to the engine. I thought, who travels with a roll of toilet paper? Seeing this Pantera is helping me to appreciate this car a lot more for what it was, and is now, as opposed to a sophomoric recollection from 48 years ago. I’d love to own it, how about you?
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