Low , low mileage car with under 800 miles on the odometer , love the original look of this 351C.I. ~ Cleveland motor inside the 1974 De Tomaso Pantera GTS !!!!! Thanks Scarboro
As a little kid in the 70s, my Father owned an orange ‘74 and when he would start it, it would make the hairs stand up on my neck knowing the engine was behind my head! 👍🏻
Fantastic job. Hands down, the best car demo video I've ever seen --- even better than Leno's videos. Totally efficient narration with no wasted air time, all the information needed, presented in a very naturally flowing progression, great voice. Superb. Great car too.
I owned a 1971 Pantera from 1978 thru 2005. It was an interesting and varied experience. I bought the car for 4000 dollars. It was yellow and a bit rough cosmetically. It had never had any of the necessary fixes or updates from Mercury and now could not receive them due to the passage of time and 37000 miles on the odo. Nevertheless the engine was sound as was the transaxle. It was a Socal car so there was no rust. The car had some notable problems. Primary was it would overheat in traffic or at over 80 degrees . And the AC was feeble . The ultimate fix was a HDaluminium radiator more powerful electric fans and a vented hood w vents above and behind the Rad to facilitate getting the hot air out. The AC was upgraded by a Sanyo compressor and a better heat exchanger plus a more powerful blower motor. The car was somewhat tail happy which was solved by buying 2 VERY expensive wider Campognolo wheels for the rear and moving to Pirelli P7 tires along with Koni shocks. Along the way Mercury closed down its parts for the cars and I bought a spare ZF transaxle on a pallet for 2500 dollars. Just in case.. although I never needed it The half shafts and u joints were known to be a weak link in the drive line so these were replaced with stronger units. I should mention that a principal source of upgraded parts was Hall Psntera in Orange County. Run by Gsry Hall who also sold of all things vacuum cleaners. An odd combination but... whatever. After about 3 years and a lot of work and quite a bit of money I finally had a reliable Pantera. I hated the seats and replaced them with Recaros. I disliked the yellow and repainted it a dark silver witha wide black stripe along the bottom. It was now time to address the power level of the engine. My recollection is that the car in stock form made around 300 hp. At the time there were not a great number of aftermarket parts for the Cleveland as it had a short production run ending around 1975 if I recall correctly. However a friend of mine and I pulled the engine had the heads ported put in a hot solid lifter cam a set of headers and an Edelbrock intake topped with a 3310 Holley. After tuning on the dyno the Cleveland kicked out 419 hp. Recall that this was the early 80s a bad time for hot cars. So the combination of light weight a 5 speed with od and over 400 hp was interesting to say the least. 2 particularly interesting races are illustrative. I encountered a Ferrari 365 GTB on the 210 freeway early one morning who wanted to race. He was throughly thrashed Another was a 1973 Pontiac SD 455 coming out of Willow Springs. The Pontiac had the power to almost keep up but simply was run out of gear at around 145. In this configuration the Psntera would runout at around 170mph Later a stroker engine of 377 ci was built with higher compression and a set of aluminium heads and a full roller valve train This engine would run on 100 octane still then available or av gas which I could get thru a friend with a Cessna. This engine dynoed out at 502 hp With this engine in place by the late 80s the car was enormously fast for its time. In fact the car lacked the spring rates and brakes and downforce to safely runout at the 7000 rpm redline in 5th gear. I can tell you that around 180 mph the car was very light and would bottom its suspension if it hit an overpass junction in the freeway at that speed. The stock brakes were of course entirely inadequate. This was partially but not completely solved by fitting better alloy slightly larger disc's and smi metallic Hawk pads but not entirely. Remember I was stuck with 15 in diameter wheels. The Pantera was after the first engine mod and correction of problems from the FACTORY a delightful high speed car.i could leave West LA at 730 pm and pull into Palo Alto at 1130 pm running up a combination of 405 5 and 99. The Psntera was one of my 4 favorite cars I ever owned. The use of the Fird Cleveland engine allowed relatively cheap and easy modifications for high power levels. Nowadays these engines are being stroked to over 430 ci and fitted with updated aluminium heads. Properly assembled the engine will kick out over 600 hp. I suppose using higher spring rates Bilstein custom v a loved shocks 17 inch or 18 inch wheels bigger brakes and some aero mods like a rear wing and a front spoiler one could build a Pantera that was reasonably comfortable at around 180 to 185. Running on pump gasvwith a power level of perhsps 550 to 575 hp. And it wouldn't cost the moon and stars to do. My last engine using aluminium intake and heads dropped some weight from the rear and in conjunction with larger wheels and tires at the rear made the car less inclined to oversteer at the limit. The use of even wider wheels and low profile tires would probably with some other suspension tweaks get one to a very neutral handling car although I doubt that the car would ever be a star at a tight track like Willow Springs. So long as one does not abuse the transaxle ir seems perfectly capable of handling that powerful although a hydraulic Macleod clutch such as I used would be necessary. The Pantera like the Cleveland that powered it was never fully developed . DeTomaso was famous for his boutique cars that were underengineered but beautiful. The Cleveland in the late 1960s and early 1970s was probably the best street going medium block from the big 3 automakers. The 4 bolt main versions could easily and inexpensively be modified to produce over 400 relatively docile and reliable hp. In conclusion I s old say that the Pantera was neither a muscle car nor a sports car. It was intended to be a high speed GT car. It was under engineered in some re s pets for this role but with corrections could be modified to more th a n adequately fulfill this role until the advent of more modern super and hypercars beginning in the 2000s such as the C5 and C6 Corvettes fitted with 427 engines and enormously rigid chassis big brakes and sophisticated suspensions.and aerodynamics. That of course was 35 years later. During the 90s I bought a Testarossa. Beautiful car. Expensive. Not nearly as fast as the modified Pantera and certainly a handful at the limit in corners. Mine would runout at just over 180mph. The Pantera would get there much quicker with a bit left over. I had the Ferrari till 2005 when I traded it in for a MB E55. A delightful 4 dr sedan After a visit to Renntech the engine produced 540 hp. The limiter was removed and thst car would easily reach 175mph. Since I was now getting older that was fast enough. But I wish I still had the Pantera to play with.
no apology for this Pantera piece. "Average man's ferrari". Thank heaven for the vision of Iaccoca, Duntov, DeLorean Shelby & others. Keep the sports cars coming!
I always put the De Tomaso with the Mustangs, Chevelle, Camaro’s and Chargers , they are all Beautiful top class cars from a time that beautiful cars were made 😊
I wouldn’t apologize for it not being a Muscle car, that is one heck of a car. I’ve had 2 of these in the past and when dialed in, awesome! Getting ready in a few days to have another one parlayed in my garage!
I put a water pump on one of these about 1980. Access panel between the two bucket seats made it a piece of cake. Later, I tuned it for the guy and he said make sure to road test it good. Well I road tested it great! Never drove a better performing well balanced muscle/sports car! Shifter and transaxle flawlessly operated, accelerated to about 110 mph by the 6k RPM shift from 3rd approximately 1/4 mile down the road and I was in 4th at 140 mph when the car started feeling a little light but handled and stopped like a dream car. Owner said he had it to 160 and still plenty of RPM left feeling it was capable of 180 but he didn't trust the tires. I believe it was the high compression 1971 or 1972 model in a dark blue color. Almost 50 years later we finally get a mid engine Corvette. If I didn't wear size 13 shoes and stand 6'4" I would have bought a Pantera and still be driving it and enjoying it!
Well a new modern interpretation of the old legendary De Tomaso Panters build by Ares (called ) Ares Panther and they use the Lamborghini chassis, engine they added a manual gated gear knob shifter add this sexy style body on top with pop-up lights and everything. Here is they'r official website they also do other cool rare projects based on customer requests : www.aresdesign.com/en-us/cars/#cars
You can't drive a thing like this at 140 mph in gusty winds without some kind of front air spoiler kit and side skirts but the original design is timeless.
Don't worry what others think about this episode. With out you and your crew we will have nothing. And with out you and others putting in time RUclips.com would be nothing. So thank you the crew and every other automotive junky for the time and money spent to put into every episode. Thank you from John Zammit Toronto,Ontario,Canada.... Keep the shiny side up and tell me how can I buy a cool jacket like yours? :)
COPO JOHN Thanks for the kind words, John! We might have another run of jackets soon, we'll keep you posted! Have you signed up for the mailing list? Go to www.musclecaroftheweek.com to register for updates.
I've been fascinated by this car since it first came out. 😍 When it was in one of the Cannonball movies (Gumball Rally?), it was a thrill when the driver DOWNSHIFTED at 100 mph to pass another car. 🤪 When my father was an instructor at Sheppard AFB in 1971, he knew someone who used his reenlistment bonus as a down payment on a Pantera, and was told that it idled at 70 mph (the driver was probably exaggerating). There is a Pantera club here in the Fort Worth/Dallas area, and the members claimed that certain maintenance chores were comparatively easy in this car, or at least easier than in most true muscle cars.
I grew up in Charlotte when Holman&Moody had their operation behind the airport. I remember seeing large lots of mustangs then panteras awaiting the holman and moody tweaking. Now that was a fine place to wonder around in
i remember being a kid in the early 80's and a friend of my mom had a bright yellow one withthe black decal on the lower doors saying pantera i fell in love then and still love em
Tasca Ford/ Mercury dealership in Massachusetts had one in pumpkin orange in 1975....a new 1974 that didn't sell....they were asking $5,500 for it and I thought about getting it, I was 17 years old and my father was going to get the loan for me. I didn't get it and instead ended up buying a used 1973 Trans Am with the SD-455 in that dark green. I still regret not getting that Pantera. Years later a guy in my city showed up with one and it had a 428 in place of the 351C and a Lambo style wing on the back. This video made my heart sink with regret.
Interesting..and a story similar to mine...I had a race engine shop..never had a new car always a hot rod..bought a 1973 pantera and used only seven months...stored since then...now install cobra four cam
To be clear, this is a Pantera L, not a Pantera GTS. The GTS model was no I ally the same but had a blinged-up stockers and graphics package, and riveted-on flares. My friend unearthed this particular Pantera and bought it from the original owner in New York, then flipped it to the brothers. He regretted it immediately but it’s gone to a good home. They also bought a companion low-mileage ‘74 GTS and both are on display together in their museum.
In '74 I was 14 and stone in love w/ this particular car. Ended up settling for a Mustang w/ a 351 Cleveland. Lots of fun, but nothing quite like that very sexy "Italian job," as my father and his friends used to say about the European and exotic cars of that era. lol Would still love to own one, but don't have the budget for it. sigh
As a kid, I recall going to the Lincoln Mercury dealer to pick up our new, brown 1974 Capri with a 4 cylinder, automatic transmission, and manual steering. We were in the service area and I saw a flashy car but didn't know what it was. My brother told me it was a Pantera and described its virtues. So, it was a let down to drive home in the "Crappi" as we called it. It was a good looking car, had a nice interior, but it was sooooo slow.... one time my brother was lined up at a stop light with the AC running against a cement mixer truck. The light changed, he stood on the pedal, bracing for the explosion of power.... yes, you guessed it.
Jim kirk The 351C designers had big big plans for that engine....unfortunately the EPA & the insurance industry killed everything. While the engineers had big plans, they unfortunately caved in to the bean counters & others...to fit in the bodies of the various types, the engine guys designed the exhaust ports to keep the engine "narrow"...but turned the exhaust ports too sharply, & the exhaust gasses "stalls" trying to make that turn in the port....a poor design from the beginning. Eventually they would have noticed & changed the ports altogether....maybe a 351CM....for "Cleveland modified"....not to be confused with the 351M.
Some more history on this car. The reason it has no miles on it is the original owner actually purchased two - this one and a blue one. The blue one was driven and this one sat on blocks under a car cover in his garage until it was sold in 2012. The only thing changed on the car was the battery and the original battery was still with the car. The seller actually apologized because he had changed the oil at some point and neglected to keep the original factory installed oil filter. I suspect this video shooting was the first time the car had ever seen rain...
I remember in 1980 a local guy in KC pulled the 351C and took it to Bob Glidden in Whiteland IN and had it built to rip. It sounded like one of Glidden's race cars and ripped alright. It ripped the transaxle right out.
I always wanted one, but they were rare in the UK. I eventually found one for sale, but when I went to see it it was falling apart with rust holes all along the sills, and seemed mostly built of filler despite being less than ten years old. I gave up the search and bought a nice Maserati Merak instead. Still hanker after an early Pantera (before they pimped it with silly giant arches and spoilers), and yes it's definitely all muscle! Thanks for the memory, great report.
That is a beautiful example. I've seen so many of these cars totally ruined with 30" GHETTO REEHUUMS and 2" tires. I hope that never happened to that one.
The infamous car that Tim Horton met his maker in. My friends grandfather actually got the ZF transaxle from the salvaged car. Nice example the red car, and the sound is really quite sweet. Thanks again.
This car launched Panteras pizza in north county st louis mo. The owner parked it in front of the pizzaria. Yum car. Yim pizza. Cheers from Hazelwood Mo where a panteras still exsists
The new Ares Panther is a better re-updated DeTomaso Pantera because it use Huracan engine, gearbox and entire chassis adding that extra flavor to an already iconic sport-super-car..
It's an Italian muscle car, LOL, and it is more than awesome. I had a yellow 1971 model and it was the cat's meow at the time. I think I had some minor issues but you just accept them (or ignore them). Looking back, the interior looks dated now, but the body & drive train - absolutedly NOT ♥
Hey may I ask you something I know this is going to sound stupid but I have a chance to get one of these a 74 Orange with no wing or a new Porsche gt3 both cars are my dream cars which one should I get
@@AlejandroP1980s thats a tuff one! I personally would get the Pantera. I live in California and I see Porsche cars everywhere, but they don't make Pantera's anymore and they look unique, half muscle car, half exotic. You can also build a Pantera to handle better, brake better and with a LOT more power. Check out a video on RUclips called, "RIDE: 626 HP De Tomaso Pantera", I think you might like it! There will always be a Porsche but De tomaso is gone and its nice having something most people have never seen.
I BY ALL MEANS AM A DEVOUT CORVETTE PERSON LOYALIST,(C1-C3.) BUT THE PANTERA HAVE BEEN A FAVORITE OF MINE,WHEN I GOT OLD ENOUGH TO BUY MY OWN CORVETTE STINGRAY,I WAS LOOKING VERY HARD AT THE RED PANTERA SITTING NEXT TO IT ON THE PRIVATE CAR LOT WHERE I BOUGHT MY VETTE FROM.THE ONLY REASON I DIDN'T GET THE PANTERA AT THE TIME WAS,THE PANTERA WAS $2000MORE THAN THE VETTE AND IT DIDN'T HAVE A REMOVABLE TOP.I HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL LOVE PANTERAS. THEY ARE MUSCLE VC ALL THE WAY.....
Probably drove the first pantera in country. Straight from Holman moody, they tweaked the engine, to bourgh Lincoln Mercury in Charlotte, nc. It was white and we had not seen a 5 speed before. Still doing gto' with 4 speeds. Very potent with the 351c. Sadly, dad said no. Maybe for the best.
I would replace the rubber bumpers with fiberglass molded ones of the same shapes. Align front one with the line of the sides. Paint same color as the car. Same for the rear. The look would be so much better. Know one really is going to assume you are going to get rear ended anyways.
Not a muscle car?... had a muscle car engine... Don't forget Ford's European race history - huge. Authentic American muscle care?...maybe not. Authentic performance car? Absofreakinlutely
I see them looking this over today trying to create whatever mid engine they are tinkering with. Car was ahead of it's time and around at the wrong time
"I'll Always Love you Hayden Panettiere" because "I've Always Loved you Hayden Panettiere" "Your's Faithfully Forever from Paradise Pictures a Division of Fry's Enterprise Worldwide.
I really enjoyed this video, I truly love car history, no matter the car. Keep up the good work, and keep the videos coming I really enjoy them. Do more of the cars from other manufacturers it keeps the hobby interesting.
They claimed at the time ('71, '72) that the Pantera was one of the four fastest production cars in the world. But with a list price of about $10,000 it was a fraction of the cost of the other three.
Robert, the engine on this car is obscured by a removable cover. However, with only 789 miles on this car in over 40 years, there was some discussion that perhaps it would be best not to disturb the cover. We were lucky enough to drive it around a bit.
V8TV Thats cool thanks for responding, I know a little about Panteras and am a member of the POCA. The rear cover is easily removed with druze fasteners. There is so much to see down there it would have been nice to see this car in its original condition. Thanks for the video, what can I say I am an engine guy! Rob
Well, a modern reinterpretation of this car has being created by a new company is called Ares Panther and use Lamborghini Huracan chassis, engine coupled to a gated manual gearbox and adding this beautiful body on top with pop-up lights and everything else, is a very cool stuff here check out they'r official website they have another cool models in pipeline as well : www.aresdesign.com/en-us/cars/#cars
I noticed in the video (3:11) a panning shot from the passenger side of the car, It shows the gas filler door on the passenger side, when in reality its on the drivers side. Great video however. It's competitor at the time was the Maserati Bora at $31,000. It had a 4.7L 320HP V8 and Mazerati claimed a top speed of 170 (later proved not true because of the math on the ZF transmission gearing). So you could have bought 3 of these in different colors for the price of the Mas.
Alessandro DeTomaso is no longer unfortunately among the living. A little fast and loose as an entrepreneur and businessman he nevertheless kept also Moto Guzzi a going concern at a time they could have gone under.
Earl I No one officially imported the GTS. This is one in name only. Unlike the Euro models with Pirelli P7s this used GR 60 15s and ER 60s at the front. Info varries with 285 and 225 fronts claimed on Pantera Info. An uprated kind of Poly Glass tire.
Thank you for the honest information Kevin. As owner of a 1974 "L"(Lusso) Detomaso Pantera #6656 I can tell you it is a great ride. The main reason Lee Iaccoca wanted the car in the Ford lineup was there was a rumor the Corvette would be mid engine soon. People ask me what year my car is and most can not tell it is 40 years old. The Pantera community is very active in keeping our cars alive, you can get almost every parts still today. As for muscle car well I have friends that own Pantera's and they range from 300 hp to over +700 hp and over 200 mph I think that is muscle car, ps sold my 1968 Formula S Cuda to get mine. To see my car here is the link pantera.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3350045562/m/256102243?r=256102243#256102243
+Graham Clayton That is correct; the Blue & White background of the DeTomaso logo is Argentina’s Flag rotated 90 degrees and the T image was actually the DeTomaso brand that they used for their horses and cattle at their large ranch in Argentina. :-)
How you figure? Musclecars basically did one thing well for their time and that was to move quickly in a straight line. So to compare any other performance statistic would be an apples and oranges comparison. That said, a stock Pantera is a low 14 second car at best. That means most "musclecars" of the era would shit on a Pantera by several car lengths in the quarter.
I saw the comment average man's Ferrari. Not quite, someone that buys a Pantera isn't looking at Ferraris. He wants a rare car. I know because I have one. I can take it to a car show and it gets all of the attention.
Oneida100 You are correct. The US GTS had riveted fiberglass fender flares and a GTS badge below the Pantera badge. Also the VIN plates had GTS in the number. Not sure why they called it a GTS.
What would that be worth with almost no miles on it at a Barrett Jackson auction.I'm sure with a limited number produced they must be highly sought after.
sorry but I rate that as a Muscle car. It has Muscle, it has attitude, it has power, it has style. Possibly the ONLY muscle car in production that year. a Mstang II is Not a muscle car.
Ever since I was a kid I always loved the body design of this car.
I really appreciate your calm presentation and politeness. Thank you.
Beautiful car I've always liked the Pantera the fact that it was an Italian car with a 351 Cleveland just made it awesome!
Low , low mileage car with under 800 miles on the odometer , love the original look of this 351C.I. ~ Cleveland motor inside the 1974 De Tomaso Pantera GTS !!!!! Thanks Scarboro
As a little kid in the 70s, my Father owned an orange ‘74 and when he would start it, it would make the hairs stand up on my neck knowing the engine was behind my head! 👍🏻
Fantastic job. Hands down, the best car demo video I've ever seen --- even better than Leno's videos. Totally efficient narration with no wasted air time, all the information needed, presented in a very naturally flowing progression, great voice. Superb. Great car too.
I owned a 1971 Pantera from 1978 thru 2005. It was an interesting and varied experience.
I bought the car for 4000 dollars. It was yellow and a bit rough cosmetically.
It had never had any of the necessary fixes or updates from Mercury and now could not receive them due to the passage of time and 37000 miles on the odo.
Nevertheless the engine was sound as was the transaxle.
It was a Socal car so there was no rust.
The car had some notable problems. Primary was it would overheat in traffic or at over 80 degrees . And the AC was feeble .
The ultimate fix was a HDaluminium radiator more powerful electric fans and a vented hood w vents above and behind the Rad to facilitate getting the hot air out.
The AC was upgraded by a Sanyo compressor and a better heat exchanger plus a more powerful blower motor.
The car was somewhat tail happy which was solved by buying 2 VERY expensive wider Campognolo wheels for the rear and moving to Pirelli P7 tires along with Koni shocks.
Along the way Mercury closed down its parts for the cars and I bought a spare ZF transaxle on a pallet for 2500 dollars. Just in case.. although I never needed it
The half shafts and u joints were known to be a weak link in the drive line so these were replaced with stronger units.
I should mention that a principal source of upgraded parts was Hall Psntera in Orange County.
Run by Gsry Hall who also sold of all things vacuum cleaners.
An odd combination but... whatever.
After about 3 years and a lot of work and quite a bit of money I finally had a reliable Pantera.
I hated the seats and replaced them with Recaros. I disliked the yellow and repainted it a dark silver witha wide black stripe along the bottom.
It was now time to address the power level of the engine. My recollection is that the car in stock form made around 300 hp. At the time there were not a great number of aftermarket parts for the Cleveland as it had a short production run ending around 1975 if I recall correctly.
However a friend of mine and I pulled the engine had the heads ported put in a hot solid lifter cam a set of headers and an Edelbrock intake topped with a 3310 Holley.
After tuning on the dyno the Cleveland kicked out 419 hp.
Recall that this was the early 80s a bad time for hot cars. So the combination of light weight a 5 speed with od and over 400 hp was interesting to say the least.
2 particularly interesting races are illustrative.
I encountered a Ferrari 365 GTB on the 210 freeway early one morning who wanted to race.
He was throughly thrashed
Another was a 1973 Pontiac SD 455 coming out of Willow Springs.
The Pontiac had the power to almost keep up but simply was run out of gear at around 145.
In this configuration the Psntera would runout at around 170mph
Later a stroker engine of 377 ci was built with higher compression and a set of aluminium heads and a full roller valve train
This engine would run on 100 octane still then available or av gas which I could get thru a friend with a Cessna.
This engine dynoed out at 502 hp
With this engine in place by the late 80s the car was enormously fast for its time. In fact the car lacked the spring rates and brakes and downforce to safely runout at the 7000 rpm redline in 5th gear. I can tell you that around 180 mph the car was very light and would bottom its suspension if it hit an overpass junction in the freeway at that speed.
The stock brakes were of course entirely inadequate. This was partially but not completely solved by fitting better alloy slightly larger disc's and smi metallic Hawk pads but not entirely.
Remember I was stuck with 15 in diameter wheels.
The Pantera was after the first engine mod and correction of problems from the FACTORY a delightful high speed car.i could leave West LA at 730 pm and pull into Palo Alto at 1130 pm running up a combination of 405 5 and 99.
The Psntera was one of my 4 favorite cars I ever owned.
The use of the Fird Cleveland engine allowed relatively cheap and easy modifications for high power levels. Nowadays these engines are being stroked to over 430 ci and fitted with updated aluminium heads.
Properly assembled the engine will kick out over 600 hp.
I suppose using higher spring rates Bilstein custom v a loved shocks 17 inch or 18 inch wheels bigger brakes and some aero mods like a rear wing and a front spoiler one could build a Pantera that was reasonably comfortable at around 180 to 185. Running on pump gasvwith a power level of perhsps 550 to 575 hp.
And it wouldn't cost the moon and stars to do. My last engine using aluminium intake and heads dropped some weight from the rear and in conjunction with larger wheels and tires at the rear made the car less inclined to oversteer at the limit. The use of even wider wheels and low profile tires would probably with some other suspension tweaks get one to a very neutral handling car although I doubt that the car would ever be a star at a tight track like Willow Springs.
So long as one does not abuse the transaxle ir seems perfectly capable of handling that powerful although a hydraulic Macleod clutch such as I used would be necessary.
The Pantera like the Cleveland that powered it was never fully developed .
DeTomaso was famous for his boutique cars that were underengineered but beautiful.
The Cleveland in the late 1960s and early 1970s was probably the best street going medium block from the big 3 automakers.
The 4 bolt main versions could easily and inexpensively be modified to produce over 400 relatively docile and reliable hp.
In conclusion I s old say that the Pantera was neither a muscle car nor a sports car. It was intended to be a high speed GT car.
It was under engineered in some re s pets for this role but with corrections could be modified to more th a n adequately fulfill this role until the advent of more modern super and hypercars beginning in the 2000s such as the C5 and C6 Corvettes fitted with 427 engines and enormously rigid chassis big brakes and sophisticated suspensions.and aerodynamics.
That of course was 35 years later.
During the 90s I bought a Testarossa.
Beautiful car. Expensive.
Not nearly as fast as the modified Pantera and certainly a handful at the limit in corners.
Mine would runout at just over 180mph.
The Pantera would get there much quicker with a bit left over.
I had the Ferrari till 2005 when I traded it in for a MB E55. A delightful 4 dr sedan
After a visit to Renntech the engine produced 540 hp.
The limiter was removed and thst car would easily reach 175mph.
Since I was now getting older that was fast enough.
But I wish I still had the Pantera to play with.
no apology for this Pantera piece. "Average man's ferrari". Thank heaven for the vision of Iaccoca, Duntov, DeLorean Shelby & others. Keep the sports cars coming!
I think the Australian Ford sourced 351C engines DeTomaso used for Panteras after 1974 had bigger 1971 type power...
I always put the De Tomaso with the Mustangs, Chevelle, Camaro’s and Chargers , they are all Beautiful top class cars from a time that beautiful cars were made 😊
I wouldn’t apologize for it not being a Muscle car, that is one heck of a car. I’ve had 2 of these in the past and when dialed in, awesome! Getting ready in a few days to have another one parlayed in my garage!
I put a water pump on one of these about 1980. Access panel between the two bucket seats made it a piece of cake. Later, I tuned it for the guy and he said make sure to road test it good. Well I road tested it great! Never drove a better performing well balanced muscle/sports car! Shifter and transaxle flawlessly operated, accelerated to about 110 mph by the 6k RPM shift from 3rd approximately 1/4 mile down the road and I was in 4th at 140 mph when the car started feeling a little light but handled and stopped like a dream car. Owner said he had it to 160 and still plenty of RPM left feeling it was capable of 180 but he didn't trust the tires. I believe it was the high compression 1971 or 1972 model in a dark blue color. Almost 50 years later we finally get a mid engine Corvette. If I didn't wear size 13 shoes and stand 6'4" I would have bought a Pantera and still be driving it and enjoying it!
Well a new modern interpretation of the old legendary De Tomaso Panters build by Ares (called ) Ares Panther and they use the Lamborghini chassis, engine they added a manual gated gear knob shifter add this sexy style body on top with pop-up lights and everything. Here is they'r official website they also do other cool rare projects based on customer requests :
www.aresdesign.com/en-us/cars/#cars
You can't drive a thing like this at 140 mph in gusty winds without some kind of front air spoiler kit and side skirts but the original design is timeless.
Don't worry what others think about this episode. With out you and your crew we will have nothing. And with out you and others putting in time RUclips.com would be nothing. So thank you the crew and every other automotive junky for the time and money spent to put into every episode. Thank you from John Zammit Toronto,Ontario,Canada.... Keep the shiny side up and tell me how can I buy a cool jacket like yours? :)
COPO JOHN Thanks for the kind words, John! We might have another run of jackets soon, we'll keep you posted! Have you signed up for the mailing list? Go to www.musclecaroftheweek.com to register for updates.
I've been fascinated by this car since it first came out. 😍 When it was in one of the Cannonball movies (Gumball Rally?), it was a thrill when the driver DOWNSHIFTED at 100 mph to pass another car. 🤪
When my father was an instructor at Sheppard AFB in 1971, he knew someone who used his reenlistment bonus as a down payment on a Pantera, and was told that it idled at 70 mph (the driver was probably exaggerating). There is a Pantera club here in the Fort Worth/Dallas area, and the members claimed that certain maintenance chores were comparatively easy in this car, or at least easier than in most true muscle cars.
I grew up in Charlotte when Holman&Moody had their operation behind the airport. I remember seeing large lots of mustangs then panteras awaiting the holman and moody tweaking. Now that was a fine place to wonder around in
Went to an auto show back in the 70’s and saw a Pantera and always wanted one. Thanks for showing it.
I'm 52 and this car has been my favorite since I was a kid. Definitely a muscle car. I grew up in a chevy family building old muscle cars with my dad.
i remember being a kid in the early 80's and a friend of my mom had a bright yellow one withthe black decal on the lower doors saying pantera i fell in love then and still love em
I wonder if he got lucky.
Tasca Ford/ Mercury dealership in Massachusetts had one in pumpkin orange in 1975....a new 1974 that didn't sell....they were asking $5,500 for it and I thought about getting it, I was 17 years old and my father was going to get the loan for me. I didn't get it and instead ended up buying a used 1973 Trans Am with the SD-455 in that dark green. I still regret not getting that Pantera. Years later a guy in my city showed up with one and it had a 428 in place of the 351C and a Lambo style wing on the back. This video made my heart sink with regret.
5500$? are you sure?
they wereb10,000$ back in 1971
I'd rather have the 73 super duty trans am than a Pantera, although the Pantera is a cool car too
Love it and love the choice, it is a muscle car especially the 71, 72, and 73 models and super fun to drive, powered by FORD so it is in. In my book
Interesting..and a story similar to mine...I had a race engine shop..never had a new car always a hot rod..bought a 1973 pantera and used only seven months...stored since then...now install cobra four cam
The 351 Cleveland has its own sound!!! Nice car!!!!2022
Great review; thank you for showcasing this beautiful example of a DeTomaso Pantera. :-)
The 351C4V that came in Panteras were Australian block engines which all had 4 Bolt Mains which is basically known as the 351 Cobra Jet.
To be clear, this is a Pantera L, not a Pantera GTS. The GTS model was no I ally the same but had a blinged-up stockers and graphics package, and riveted-on flares.
My friend unearthed this particular Pantera and bought it from the original owner in New York, then flipped it to the brothers. He regretted it immediately but it’s gone to a good home. They also bought a companion low-mileage ‘74 GTS and both are on display together in their museum.
Just magnificent APB
Coolness! 351 Cleveland muscle! Great styling!🔧🔧😁😄 Great video!😄😁
In '74 I was 14 and stone in love w/ this particular car. Ended up settling for a Mustang w/ a 351 Cleveland. Lots of fun, but nothing quite like that very sexy "Italian job," as my father and his friends used to say about the European and exotic cars of that era. lol Would still love to own one, but don't have the budget for it. sigh
In 71, i was 12 and walked to the Lincoln/mercury dealer to see one on the showroom floor and feel in love with it
We have a 72 & it a great car...been in the family since 1984.
That 351 Cleveland engine with it's huge valves and ports had a sound all it's own. The basic design was used in NASCAR for 30 years.
As a kid, I recall going to the Lincoln Mercury dealer to pick up our new, brown 1974 Capri with a 4 cylinder, automatic transmission, and manual steering. We were in the service area and I saw a flashy car but didn't know what it was. My brother told me it was a Pantera and described its virtues. So, it was a let down to drive home in the "Crappi" as we called it. It was a good looking car, had a nice interior, but it was sooooo slow.... one time my brother was lined up at a stop light with the AC running against a cement mixer truck. The light changed, he stood on the pedal, bracing for the explosion of power.... yes, you guessed it.
Shelby Cobra was considered a muscle car, English sports car with an American v8. So this is also fits as a muscle car!
I have always loved and wanted one of these I would take this over anything ferrari or lamborghini had at the same time I just love the way it looks
Thanks for posting this . 351 Cleveland one of Fords most under rated engines .
Jim kirk The 351C designers had big big plans for that engine....unfortunately the EPA & the insurance industry killed everything. While the engineers had big plans, they unfortunately caved in to the bean counters & others...to fit in the bodies of the various types, the engine guys designed the exhaust ports to keep the engine "narrow"...but turned the exhaust ports too sharply, & the exhaust gasses "stalls" trying to make that turn in the port....a poor design from the beginning. Eventually they would have noticed & changed the ports altogether....maybe a 351CM....for "Cleveland modified"....not to be confused with the 351M.
i thought it was the windsor...
@@crystalstanborough4053 Windsor is a 2 barrel
I love the Pantera. There were cool looking cars.
Some more history on this car. The reason it has no miles on it is the original owner actually purchased two - this one and a blue one. The blue one was driven and this one sat on blocks under a car cover in his garage until it was sold in 2012. The only thing changed on the car was the battery and the original battery was still with the car. The seller actually apologized because he had changed the oil at some point and neglected to keep the original factory installed oil filter. I suspect this video shooting was the first time the car had ever seen rain...
I remember in 1980 a local guy in KC pulled the 351C and took it to Bob Glidden in Whiteland IN and had it built to rip. It sounded like one of Glidden's race cars and ripped alright. It ripped the transaxle right out.
I always wanted one, but they were rare in the UK. I eventually found one for sale, but when I went to see it it was falling apart with rust holes all along the sills, and seemed mostly built of filler despite being less than ten years old. I gave up the search and bought a nice Maserati Merak instead. Still hanker after an early Pantera (before they pimped it with silly giant arches and spoilers), and yes it's definitely all muscle! Thanks for the memory, great report.
That is a beautiful example. I've seen so many of these cars totally ruined with 30" GHETTO REEHUUMS and 2" tires. I hope that never happened to that one.
The infamous car that Tim Horton met his maker in. My friends grandfather actually got the ZF transaxle from the salvaged car. Nice example the red car, and the sound is really quite sweet. Thanks again.
cdnpont Vince Neil Also wrecked his and killed the passenger in 1984.
+cdnpont Tim Horton was killed in those? That's a pity although he was drunk. Nonetheless still kickass of a car.
This car launched Panteras pizza in north county st louis mo. The owner parked it in front of the pizzaria. Yum car. Yim pizza. Cheers from Hazelwood Mo where a panteras still exsists
In the late 70s I had a girl friend that owned one and I had the honor to drive it.
Time to go for 1080p! These cars deserves pure quality!
Would be kool if Ford could slot this in between the Mustang and Ford GT.
the Fiero
The new Ares Panther is a better re-updated DeTomaso Pantera because it use Huracan engine, gearbox and entire chassis adding that extra flavor to an already iconic sport-super-car..
very likable style in this presenter
I absolutely love the Pantera, I would love to own one.
It's an Italian muscle car, LOL, and it is more than awesome. I had a yellow 1971 model and it was the cat's meow at the time. I think I had some minor issues but you just accept them (or ignore them). Looking back, the interior looks dated now, but the body & drive train - absolutedly NOT ♥
Awesome car, I’ve always wanted one! Only car I ever considered selling or trading my 68 charger rt 440 for!
Hey may I ask you something I know this is going to sound stupid but I have a chance to get one of these a 74 Orange with no wing or a new Porsche gt3 both cars are my dream cars which one should I get
@@AlejandroP1980s thats a tuff one! I personally would get the Pantera. I live in California and I see Porsche cars everywhere, but they don't make Pantera's anymore and they look unique, half muscle car, half exotic. You can also build a Pantera to handle better, brake better and with a LOT more power. Check out a video on RUclips called, "RIDE: 626 HP De Tomaso Pantera", I think you might like it! There will always be a Porsche but De tomaso is gone and its nice having something most people have never seen.
@@Gilbert440 true I like the Pantera but I'm afraid of maintenance money is not a issue but the parts are rare
Excellent video , the interior shots show how amazingly clean this car is , pretty much brand new condition,
It’s still a nice car. Real car lovers love all cars.
I BY ALL MEANS AM A DEVOUT CORVETTE PERSON LOYALIST,(C1-C3.) BUT THE PANTERA HAVE BEEN A FAVORITE OF MINE,WHEN I GOT OLD ENOUGH TO BUY MY OWN CORVETTE STINGRAY,I WAS LOOKING VERY HARD AT THE RED PANTERA SITTING NEXT TO IT ON THE PRIVATE CAR LOT WHERE I BOUGHT MY VETTE FROM.THE ONLY REASON I DIDN'T GET THE PANTERA AT THE TIME WAS,THE PANTERA WAS $2000MORE THAN THE VETTE AND IT DIDN'T HAVE A REMOVABLE TOP.I HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL LOVE PANTERAS. THEY ARE MUSCLE VC ALL THE WAY.....
Remember, the 427 Cobra was a sports car with a muscle car engine!🔧😄😁
Still looks modern
They didn't "fall" out of favor. They were "legislated" out of favor. Even the gas price increases were due to "legislated" inflation.
Probably drove the first pantera in country. Straight from Holman moody, they tweaked the engine, to bourgh Lincoln Mercury in Charlotte, nc. It was white and we had not seen a 5 speed before. Still doing gto' with 4 speeds. Very potent with the 351c. Sadly, dad said no. Maybe for the best.
thanks, and i call that muscle.
I would replace the rubber bumpers with fiberglass molded ones of the same shapes. Align front one with the line of the sides. Paint same color as the car. Same for the rear. The look would be so much better. Know one really is going to assume you are going to get rear ended anyways.
l love the fact FORD took a chance on these because they exist !! ALSO you forgot to mention ELVIS HAD ONE TOO
If drive this in a _heartbeat_!!!
Italian Beauty with American Heart... HELLA DEVASTATING
Not a muscle car?... had a muscle car engine... Don't forget Ford's European race history - huge.
Authentic American muscle care?...maybe not.
Authentic performance car? Absofreakinlutely
Drove a few of these back in the day. It's biggest problem? Cooling...
Amazingly low mileage. Why would someone buy a car like this simply to look at it? Its actually a shame. Nice video though.
Beautiful timepiece. Not a GTS, however. Best bang for the buck, IMHO. Timeless italian style with raw american brute power.
Hmm, 2021, and now we have a mid-engined Corvette, only 50 years after Ford had one.
I love that dog leg transmission
I see them looking this over today trying to create whatever mid engine they are tinkering with. Car was ahead of it's time and around at the wrong time
"I'll Always Love you Hayden Panettiere"
because
"I've Always Loved you Hayden Panettiere"
"Your's Faithfully Forever from
Paradise Pictures a Division of
Fry's Enterprise Worldwide.
Vary nice car I remember this one.
I really enjoyed this video, I truly love car history, no matter the car. Keep up the good work, and keep the videos coming I really enjoy them. Do more of the cars from other manufacturers it keeps the hobby interesting.
I loved learning about this car :D you guys should do more episodes (or maybe another series) on other types of cars like this.
They claimed at the time ('71, '72) that the Pantera was one of the four fastest production cars in the world. But with a list price of about $10,000 it was a fraction of the cost of the other three.
But twice the price of the faster Corvette...
I drove both and the Pantera is a much faster car and outperformed a small block Corvette in every street worthy category I could test them at.
Sales were weak.
@@billkerstein1637
But...the Corvette came with power steering ;>)
not to show the engine??????? Are these guys really car guys? The engine is the heart of any car.
Robert, the engine on this car is obscured by a removable cover. However, with only 789 miles on this car in over 40 years, there was some discussion that perhaps it would be best not to disturb the cover. We were lucky enough to drive it around a bit.
V8TV Thats cool thanks for responding, I know a little about Panteras and am a member of the POCA. The rear cover is easily removed with druze fasteners. There is so much to see down there it would have been nice to see this car in its original condition. Thanks for the video, what can I say I am an engine guy! Rob
It show do sound like a badass muscle car.
One of my all time favorite vehicles. Sure it had problems but show me an Italian exotic that didn’t.
Those Arrivas must be like hockey pucks!
I think the production run was around ten thousand...so there's a few of them out there.😎
I like the 72 dash and car better! But these are great cars!
I agree!
Can you imagine this car with a modern Coyote engine in it,,,,
How about the flat plane crank gt350 engine?
Yes sir!!
Both ideas would be epic
Well, a modern reinterpretation of this car has being created by a new company is called Ares Panther and use Lamborghini Huracan chassis, engine coupled to a gated manual gearbox and adding this beautiful body on top with pop-up lights and everything else, is a very cool stuff here check out they'r official website they have another cool models in pipeline as well :
www.aresdesign.com/en-us/cars/#cars
@@poplaurentiu4148 just checked it out. Badass!
Bad ass !
Could bought one cheap years ago. Just a kid with no money.
Robert Kubrick Have a happy Christmas. Are used to have a 440 charger
I noticed in the video (3:11) a panning shot from the passenger side of the car, It shows the gas filler door on the passenger side, when in reality its on the drivers side. Great video however. It's competitor at the time was the Maserati Bora at $31,000. It had a 4.7L 320HP V8 and Mazerati claimed a top speed of 170 (later proved not true because of the math on the ZF transmission gearing). So you could have bought 3 of these in different colors for the price of the Mas.
Gts???????,
De Tomaso's continued with 351 Cleveland V8s but Australia engines with more output, until the late '80s when they just used 302 windsors
Kevin
Don’t forget that Ford and AC made the MKIV.
I have one if your ever in the East coast.
Jeff
MKIV Lincoln Continental?
I believe if It were made again, It would sell a lot
Lindo
we need de tomaso to make the pentera come back.
Could You Imagine What a Modern Pantera Would Look Like !??! 👍🇺🇸
@@spiritzweispirit1st638 true keep the vintage look put a good engine and hp
@@spiritzweispirit1st638 is this Ferrari
@@spiritzweispirit1st638 looks like Ferrari and Lamborghini
Alessandro DeTomaso is no longer unfortunately among the living. A little fast and loose as an entrepreneur and businessman he nevertheless kept also Moto Guzzi a going concern at a time they could have gone under.
Thanks for pointing out the wheels and their manufacture. How about their size and the size of the tires?
Earl I No one officially imported the GTS. This is one in name only. Unlike the Euro models with Pirelli P7s this used GR 60 15s and ER 60s at the front. Info varries with 285 and 225 fronts claimed on Pantera Info. An uprated kind of Poly Glass tire.
Thank you for the honest information Kevin. As owner of a 1974 "L"(Lusso) Detomaso Pantera #6656 I can tell you it is a great ride. The main reason Lee Iaccoca wanted the car in the Ford lineup was there was a rumor the Corvette would be mid engine soon. People ask me what year my car is and most can not tell it is 40 years old. The Pantera community is very active in keeping our cars alive, you can get almost every parts still today. As for muscle car well I have friends that own Pantera's and they range from 300 hp to over +700 hp and over 200 mph I think that is muscle car, ps sold my 1968 Formula S Cuda to get mine. To see my car here is the link pantera.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3350045562/m/256102243?r=256102243#256102243
I am the owner of #6653
de Tomaso was born in Buenos Aires, which explains why the company logo has blue and white stripes.
+Graham Clayton That is correct; the Blue & White background of the DeTomaso logo is Argentina’s Flag rotated 90 degrees and the T image was actually the DeTomaso brand that they used for their horses and cattle at their large ranch in Argentina. :-)
And yet it will spank most "Musclecars"
With under 300hp?
How you figure? Musclecars basically did one thing well for their time and that was to move quickly in a straight line. So to compare any other performance statistic would be an apples and oranges comparison. That said, a stock Pantera is a low 14 second car at best. That means most "musclecars" of the era would shit on a Pantera by several car lengths in the quarter.
I Want one
I saw the comment average man's Ferrari. Not quite, someone that buys a Pantera isn't looking at Ferraris. He wants a rare car. I know because I have one. I can take it to a car show and it gets all of the attention.
Bitchin' Corvette/Pantera car scene here: ruclips.net/video/ejYhlYrhV9M/видео.html
I would also make the engine visible through the back window
Beautiful car; love the Panteras. However, this one is not a GTS as the title of the video suggests.
Oneida100 You are correct. The US GTS had riveted fiberglass fender flares and a GTS badge below the Pantera badge. Also the VIN plates had GTS in the number. Not sure why they called it a GTS.
What would that be worth with almost no miles on it at a Barrett Jackson auction.I'm sure with a limited number produced they must be highly sought after.
oddly they are not very desirable cars until now, they been a car none really seem interested in but now start catch attention due to their low price.
Is there a 1969 ZL-1 corvette in the collection?
Is this guy Ron Swansons gearhead brother?
sorry but I rate that as a Muscle car. It has Muscle, it has attitude, it has power, it has style. Possibly the ONLY muscle car in production that year. a Mstang II is Not a muscle car.
fantastic, got an extra 80, 100K $ in the piggy bank? A ford prts list makes it even beddah. I'll take 2 plez...
*If it has the engine out of a Ford Mustang in it, how is it NOT a muscle car again* ?