It’s a shame to see such a special car parked in the weeds! This DeTomaso Pantera was built in Italy and competed with the world’s super cars. Unfortunately, this one is going to need some major work before it’s going to compete with anyone. Find this big project here on eBay.
Here you can spot the 351 V8 peeking through the bulkhead. That’s right, this thing was powered by Ford! The American engine may have made the Pantera seem less exotic than other super cars, but it actually provided most of the thrills with better driveability on the street.
Mid-engine cars normally don’t have the best carrying capacity, but luckily this one has the optional luggage rack! It also has the larger-than-European taillights and side markers. See, DeTomaso built a different version of the car for the U.S. market than it did for the rest of the world.
Ford distributed these cars through their dealer network and helped the factory get the body stampings and engines up to snuff. Even so, this isn’t a car that you can order replacement parts for through your local dealership. The engine won’t be hard to restore, but the rest may be a challenge. What do you think? Will this project require a super car budget to restore?
I’m just confused how anybody could a car such as this, outside to ruin?
Yes it looks like the garage took off in a gale sometime back ( :
The passenger may have got caught in the fan wheel too.
This really is a museum installation relating to a decayed urban environment.
In the seller’s other items is this same car listed in an active auction for 5K less. If you were in the buying mood, I’d take the other listing.
Who parks a perfectly good car with only 25~26K on the clock and let’s it rot?
To each his own I guess.
It ran out gas if I remember right.
The overall condition of the property it’s on suggests a lot.
It looks as if a now-gone dilapidated shed might have surrounded the car on the spot where it’s parked. Maybe it was indeed left in the open for years with the lawn and weeds — which have probably only recently been cut — allowed to overcome it. If the car wasn’t under a rickety roof, I’d bet that the entire yard became a fenced-in jungle that almost totally concealed it.
My guess is that the property is a forgotten, derelict parcel that ended up on a family’s ‘get rid of it’ list which included the car. This looks like a classic example of a knowledgeable owner dying and family members inheriting something they neither know nor care about.
This is the single most depressing car I have seen on BarnFinds. Literally my favorite car and they let it rot outside.
Tom Tjarda’s masterpiece. Though he also designed the first Ford Fiesta, the first Fiat 124 Spider and the first Saab 900 4 door, amongst many others in quite a varied career. A nice example of an American doing well in Europe with his work at Ghia. Sadly deceased on June 2 last year aged 82. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Tjaarda
Keep saving, wait for a better car to come along.
Steve R
Only thing for sale here is a title, drive package and a whole lotta work to spend into a money pit. Has weeds growing into the cabin through the rockers. Sorry, but it’s just an overpriced parts car. Maybe a tube frame and a glass kit body??
Wonder what Tom Cotter would say if he stumbled across this in his literal back yard.
Looks as though it has been fished up out of the littoral zone.
It wasnt that long ago you could buy one of these in very nice shape ready to go for 20K. The bodies looked OK the ford 351 was Ok, brakes were ok it always made me wonder if the entire car was the same and just ok?
Hopefully the seller will spend the proceeds of the sale on some counselling, the guy is clearly a fruit cake
Cars with these beautiful proportions are unlikely to be built again due to pedestrian safety regulations. Look at the lean front and rear end proportions.
If I had to choose an interesting vantage point from which to view this car I’d choose the rear as seen in the 2nd to last photo.
The author notes the luggage rack and tail lights designate it is a US spec car. This is most definitely a plus and makes it very special. Also note the far left corner section of the bumper has a bracket to install a license plate.
Although it looks like this car sat underwater for two decades before seeing daylight, it is still worthy of consideration. The engine is complete as is the interior. It even has its factory wheels.
$10,000 is a fair price.
This is a nuts and bolts resto with major rust repair thrown in. At the end of the day, it will be a restored low mileage Pantera but at what cost? Although these did jump in price and 6 figures for a restored one is not out of the norm.
How valid is a claim of low mileage unless it can be verified? I doubt that documentation exists with this car.
Steve R
Steve, just save and print this thread. Should be all the proof anyone will ever need.
This once fine car has made the transition to junk.
what a shame :-(
can’t believe they are even try to get 30k out of this one thats crazy when you can buy a good one for 38k to 45k now days .
Robert, I urge you to check the market again… the prices are double now.
I always wonder what the story is. So weird: a car just parked in the middle of the lawn at an angle, and left there for years. Not even tucked into the nearby carport. These seem easy enough to work on with American running gear, so it’s not like a BiTurbo or something, why abandon it?
I agree Chebby, I bet the owner was a carpenter. Put the saw horse under the lean to and leave your car outside. Crazy indeed.
I would love to see this car after it gets restored, and at what cost.
This is a good excuse for some very tasteful customizing, what would be original if it was done to begin with?
Hmmm, clear headlight covers, slightly bigger intake scopes (slightly), slight rocker extensions, sculpted interior……..
Like the Ringbrothers one?
Zero feedback from seller. Buyer beware! Wonder when Dynacorn is gonna start reproducing bodies/parts for these.
This car doesn’t need a full restoration.
It needs marine salvage.
Looking at the amount of rust, sandy soil and type of grass, it appears to be the coastal area of NC, so plenty of salt and humidity in the air to aid in the decay. Also the remains of the inspection sticker indicates last registered in the 80’s
$5K is about right for this car, $30K is lunacy…
It needs everything, and who knows what the frame is like. jeez..
I like the luggage rack.
Car is for seller with zero feedback, twice (check “Seller’s Other Items”), at different prices. Same pictures… I’m suspicious.
These rust in very hard to get places of it were free I dont think it would be worth it to fix. Sad they are neat cars.
When I stop working on a car for 1 reason or another {like working on another car} I at least move them around so that doesn’t happen to them.This 87 Buick wagon was a barn find. Bruce.
I have all the old wood grain peeled off.She going to be painted the new crazy blue color that chevys come out with now. Now the hard part finding the wood grain decal .P.S.its a 9 seater. Bruce.
There’s an interesting story here that we would all love to know.
Too bad the seller can’t be bothered to tell it.
What a shame to leave it outside to Rust and Disappear in the weeds, now looking like a Bucket of Rust!
yard art
Sad.
Had a friend in HS, saved every penny and bought one. He could not insure it so he didn’t drive it until he was 21.
Mine was a Europa when he started driving it. This was in So Cal. Mine handled better and had better brakes.
We compared the two of course. His was five years old when he bought it and it was already rusty. This was in So Cal. His was amazing to sit in and have that motor right next to your ear.
We both liked our own cars the most.
Such a shame about this one.
Just get it running and driving and show up at a Pantera car show…Bet almost everyone there will be in awe!
Sold
A friend near me has a very rusty one sitting yrs. in his driveway under tarps. Thinks it is worth $20K.. I had one for 23 yrs. They will break you, but when they are right – with a gpod performance built engine, they will demolish most anything.
Fleabay says it sold for 30 k. Hmm. Cool car, I do know that the early ones had problems with the ZF transaxle, remember seeing 3 of them in a local Lincoln Mercury Dealers’ shop waiting for new trannies.
Good luck to the new owner. pantera;s are the Bomb.
I think we will see it listed again by the same seller in the not too distant future.
Steve R
Went for a ride in one when I was eight years old, maybe nine, uncle’s shady brother was borrowing it. That was back in ’74 I think and it was fairly new. He drove it slow, but just being in one of those Pantera’s had me grinning ear to ear. Never forgot that.
Amazingly awful to see one of these just rotting away, can’t believe it sold for 30k either but then again these were never cheap cars to begin with.
Car did not sell for $30k. Seller relisted with a BIN of $30k.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/332708074655?
The original listing says sold, but actually it was relisted (probably because the auction ended without being sold).
Please don’t assume that this car sold for $30k and then think you will have to come off that much cash just to get a major (understatement) project. Doing so will drive up the cost of decent cars into the stratosphere. Then no regular guys will be buying anything worth fixing up. Prices for projects are getting out of hand. Probably due to shows like Rump Monkey Garage, Got Fired Garage and such.
Yeah, Velocity channel thinks we are all black T-shirt wearing, wooly, thugy, tattooed Puds, as most of their car shows personnel except Resurrection Garage (Canada) portray.
I really hate this aspect of Ebay. It DOES make the car look like it sold for $30k. Perhaps it did, but then the buyer backed out, and now it’s re-listed? Impossible to tell.
And just think. This poor rusty hulk once looked like this beauty. Criminal!
I know very little about these cars, other than to say that I’ve always thought they were cool.
One thing I noticed: the car has the basic Ford outside rear view mirror, which was used on various Fords of the day. It makes me wonder what all “parts bin” work Ford had to do to get the Pantera to be able to be marketed and sold in the US.
Back in the days, few Italian cars came from the factory with outside rear view mirrors. These were rather optional and sort of boiled down to whatever the selling dealer had on hand and placed wherever the dealer felt it looked best on the car (fender or door).
If you see that much rust on the outside, I guarantee you’ll find much more where you can’t see. I had a ’71 that I bought in ’74 in Southern California. Considering the dry conditions it lived in it had a lot of small rusty areas starting in the engine compartment and other areas that were out of sight… and it was only 3 years old. Panteras have major rust issues. I feel a lot was due to improper prep of the surfaces before painting at the factory and sub-par primer. This car will need to be dipped, but then, there might not be much left afterwards in some areas. I think I’d choose a better car to spend my money and time on. This one looks like a money sponge. Incidentally, the luggage racks were dealer installed or aftermarket items. They did not come from Ford that way.
The Italians would source their steel from the least expensive source- the Soviet Union.
“Sure, sure our steel strong. Strong like onion, comrades, no worries…”
They were at least smart enough to make Ladas’ out of a much thicker gauge of steel
The thicker grade was only used on the initial run of Vaz 2101. The very first cars were considered to be the best because the engines were assembled using Italian components under scrutiny of Italian engineers sent to Toliatti to help with set up. Once the soviet components went into play the assembly quality went out of the window and I think they may have had competition on which cars would rust quicker, Soviet or Italian
Having been in several Lada’s, guarantee they are thicker steel than the FIAT forefather. Dad had a German AF counterpart that bought a new Lada in ’76. Rode in it again in ’92, and it still passed TUV- not rotten either.
Quality on either version not exactly stellular, so-
Red Springs NC is not far from Ft Bragg and the now closed Pope AFB as well as Lumberton ( Hurricaine Matthew flooded most of the town and outlying areas). Many service personal move out that way because property is less expensive over all. This car is not a native NC car. Way to much rust even for a Panterra to have spent it’s entire life in this state. That car came from up north somewhere and was brought down here by a service member I am thinking. Perhaps the current owner. If anyone really is thinking seriously about this car. For 100 bucks I can go out there and look at it and send you pics of the tender bits.
You know this happens alot to, with vietnam boys, your talking 70’s ,could have been bought, and driven some, he gets drafted and killed or crippled, there the cars sits under a carport or old shed, depending what state it’s in what environment its exposed to. Could have got killed and car is reminder to parents of there son, there it sits. By the looks of brick ranch style houses it would fit that era, now parents are gone and some family is cleaning up the place, here’s what was pulled out of a shed! Southern states with humidity and hurricanes and mossy trees , seen that alot,! It’s either alot of work or not worth it! Those were partial 2×3 frames and tubes bolted in the body with fiberglass shell tub around motor with cross braces to support that engine and front carrier would be concerning of what kind of rust it had, that body looks really ate up, would take a ton of work, but some of us have fixed some pretty bad ones!! Sheet metal and a mig welder,alot of grinding! Tons of hours! Question is! Is it worth it!