A small number of Panteras were imported to the US by gray market importers in the s, notably Panteramerica and AmeriSport. After , Ford US discontinued the Cleveland engine, but production continued in Australia until De Tomaso started sourcing their V8s from Australia once the American supplies dried up. These engines were tuned in Switzerland and were available with a range of outputs up to PS kW; hp.
According to De Tomaso the chassis was completely revised in , beginning with chassis number From May the lineup included the GT5, which had bonded and riveted-on fibreglass wheelarch extensions and from November the GT5S model which had blended arches and a distinctive wide-body look. The GT5 also incorporated better brakes, a more luxurious interior, much larger wheels and tires and the fiberglass body kit also included an air dam and side skirts.
Although the factory has not made its records available, an analysis based on Vehicle Identification Numbers by the Pantera Owners Club of America POCA late model series registrar has shown that fewer than GT5 Panteras were likely to have been built. The GT5-S featured single piece flared steel fenders instead of the GT5's riveted-on fiberglass flares, and a smaller steel front air dam.
The 'S' in the GT5-S name stood for "steel". Concurrent GTS production continued, on a custom order and very limited basis, until the late s. The car continued to use a Ford V8 engine, although in , when the supply of Ford Cleveland engines from Australia ran out, De Tomaso began installing Ford Windsor engines in the Pantera instead.
For the was changed to the Ford cu in cc, commonly called a "5. Incorporating a Marcello Gandini facelift, suspension redesign, partial chassis redesign and the new, smaller engine, the Pantera 90 Si model was introduced in Some say 41 were built with the last one not finished until , of which four were Targa models.
The Targas were converted by Pavesi directly off the production lines. In all, about 7, Panteras were built. The Italian-American mid-engine exotic featured a gorgeous body designed by Tom Tjaarda at Ghia, a monocoque chassis engineered by Gian Paolo Dallara, and an entirely new plus horsepower V-8 bolted to a five-speed ZF transaxle.
Panteras rolled into Lincoln-Mercury dealerships with independent unequal length A-arm suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, four-wheel disc brakes, staggered Campagnolo magnesium alloy wheels, and air-conditioning. Like many exotics of its day, the Pantera often suffered from lackluster engineering and quality control, but Ford helped more as time went by and most of the problems were long ago sorted out.
The car never really found its place among consumers who expected the fit, finish, and comfort of an American car. Never mind that the Pantera, when new, provided enthusiasts with solid performance and exceptional design as an affordable alternative to the mid-engine Ferrari Dino and Lamborghini Miura.
First: Excitement is directly proportional to price—the more you spend, the zoomier the car. Which makes sense. Second: Goodness is inversely proportional to the price—the more you spend, the less likely you are to get a carefully engineered machine, one that is dependable in the way the multitudes demand. Instead, you get hand craftsmanship, which is not the same thing.
Anyone willing to accept that, the magazine noted, would be rewarded. Autocar rendered a similar verdict. Top speed proved to be a resounding mph at an engine speed of just rpm. Early Panteras with split bumpers and push-button door handles from the Mangusta parts bin gave way in to the Lusso, or L-cars, fitted with federal bumpers that added pounds.
Ford lowered the compression ratio and made up the difference with factory performance parts, but a change in measuring standards made the change from gross to net horsepower appear far worse than the real-world performance provided. The Pantera could hit 60 mph in 5.
First-generation Pantera production culminated in with the GTS model that was effectively an appearance for American-market Pantera GTS that came with Campagnolo wheels one-inch wider than stock, a blacked-out hood and rear deck, rivet-mounted flares, a sport steering wheel, and GTS graphics.
The European-market GTS also got a performance suspension and a Cleveland V-8 with high-compression pistons and solid lifter camshaft good for horsepower.
Ford ended its partnership with De Tomaso in as emissions and safety standards spelled trouble for the mid-engine exotic. Just how many were built under the partnership is an open question; Ford says while De Tomaso claims Don Byars of Full Throttle Panteras has restored more than Panteras during the past odd years and believes there are around in the U.
Just how many are awaiting discovery is uncertain, but remember, project cars with low prices can represent false economy. Don added that metallic paint, often used to obscure Bondo, is a danger sign. In fact, it was the first affordable mid-engine exotic. Seem to good to be true? Well, yes and no. But mostly yes. The Pantera was the result of a collaboration between Ford Motor and fiery, erratic, modestly successful sports car builder and former auto racer Alejandro DeTomaso.
He had moved to Italy from Argentina with his wealthy American wife, Isabelle Haskell, who backed his business ventures. The Ford-powered Cobra sports car was gone, and Ford Motor wanted a sports car such as the Pantera to maintain its high-performance image in the early s.
Such a car also would be a sexy addition to Ford Motor's staid Lincoln-Mercury division car line. The Pantera was based on DeTomaso's sleek but notoriously unreliable low-volume Ford-engine Mangusta sports car, which should have served as a warning to Iacocca that the Pantera might be troublesome.
Ford made sure the Pantera had better detail engineering than the Mangusta and installed air conditioning, which was unusual in an Italian exotic. The Pantera had a gorgeous low-slung body from Italy's Ghia exotic car styling outfit and a race-style mid-engine layout. It gave up little to pricey Italian sports cars with its dramatic, wedge-shaped lines, all-independent suspension, all-disc brakes, magnesium wheels and five-speed ZF manual transmission.
The Pantera's cubic-inch pushrod V-8 produced horsepower, letting the 3,pound car reach 70 mph in second gear and hit about mph. The V-8 lacked the complicated overhead-camshaft V engines in Ferraris, but so what?
A Ford pushrod V-8 in a Shelby Cobra sports car beat Ferrari for the world manufacturer's championship in and was much easier and cheaper to maintain. The Pantera was flat-out sensational in the early s.
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