Overview
Manufacturer De Tomaso
Production 1971–1991
7260 produced[1]
Designer Tom Tjaarda under Ghia
Marcello Gandini (Pantera SI)
Body and chassis
Class Sports car
Body style Coupé
Layout RMR layout
Powertrain
Engine Ford 351 Cleveland V8
Dimensions
Wheelbase 99 in (2,500 mm)
Length 167.5 in (4,250 mm)
Width 72 in (1,800 mm)
Height 43.25 in (1,099 mm)
Chronology
Predecessor De Tomaso Mangusta
De Tomaso Pantera, once owned by Elvis Presley
The Pantera was a sports car produced by the De Tomaso car company of Italy from 1971 to 1991,[1] the last one being delivered to a customer in 1992.[2]
The word "Pantera" is Italian for "Panther".
Contents
1 History
2 Pantera SI
3 Specifications
4 Notes
5 External links
History
The car was designed by American designer Tom Tjaarda[3] and replaced the De Tomaso Mangusta. Unlike the Mangusta, which employed a steel backbone chassis, the Pantera was a steel monocoque design, the first instance of De Tomaso using this construction technique. The Pantera logo included a version of Argentina's flag turned on its side with a T-shaped symbol that was the brand used by De Tomaso's Argentinian cattle ranching ancestors.[4]
The car made its public debut in Modena in March 1970 and was presented at the 1970 New York Motor Show a few weeks later.[3] Approximately a year after that production Panteras started finding their way into the hands of customers and production had already been ramped up to a remarkable (by the standards of Modena-built exotica) 3 per day.[3]
The curious slat-backed seats which had attracted comment at the New York Show were replaced by more conventional body-hugging sports-car seats in the production cars: leg-room was generous but the pedals were off-set and headroom was insufficient for drivers above approximately 6 ft. (ca. 183 cm) tall.[3] Reflecting its makers' transatlantic ambitions, the Pantera came with an abundance of standard features which appeared exotic in Europe, such as electric windows, air conditioning and even "doors that buzz when ... open".[3] By the time the Pantera reached production, the interior was in most respects well sorted, although resting an arm on the central console could lead to inadvertently activating the poorly located cigarette lighter.[3]
The first 1971 Panteras were powered by a Ford 351 cu in (5.8 L) V8 engine that produced a severely underrated 330 hp (246 kW; 335 PS). Stock dynos over the years proved that power was more along the lines of about 380 hp (283 kW; 385 PS).[citation needed] The high torque provided by the Ford engine reduced the need for excessive gear changing at low speeds: this made the car much less demanding to drive in urban conditions than many of the locally built competitor products.
In all, about 7,200 Panteras were built.
