Perhaps the only more important collaboration between the United States and Italy than the De Tomaso Pantera is pizza, we're deadly serious about this claim. The Pantera embodied everything great about Italian automotive design and merged it with the best in American muscle under the hood. Some may be surprised to know, the Pantera had a two-decade-long production run.
In those two decades, quite a bit changed overtime on this mid-engined Italian supercar. Today, these differences between the years can mean the difference between making a nice profit and being able to pay off your mortgage in one payment. We're going to try and show you which Panteras are commanding the highest price tags, in case any of you had a spare six-figures or hanging around somewhere.
Let's take a look at why the De Tomaso Pantera is one of the most sought after Italian cars of all time, and how its American engine makes it even more appealing to muscle car fans.
The Roaring 70s
We may think of the 1970s as the decade that performance forgot. An oil crisis in 1973 ensured the era of the muscle car was extinguished before it'd even hit its apex in America. However, the Italians, bless their hearts, decided not to take part in it. The 70s saw the rise of some of the most iconic Italian sports cars. The Lamborghini Miura and Ferrari 308 immediately spring to mind, but the Pantera is just as significant in our minds.
A Disciple Of Ghia
Italy is home to more famous car design firms than any other country on earth. Among these famous names, no one's been around longer than the Turin based Ghia. The list of famous cars that passed through their hallowed studios is too long to list. But one of their most prolific designers is directly responsible for the creation of the Pantera.
Detroit born Tom Tjaarda may be one of the most underappreciated designers we're aware of. His name may not be as recognizable as Lee Iaccoca or Gordon Murray but his designs are to our eyes, as beautiful as any other car ever sold. He designed the Panteras aerodynamic yet aggressive shape and to his credit, it's a timeless design that people had no problem buying brand new even as it approached 20 years old. Sure, over that run the car did get a little bit bulkier and sprouted a rear wing, but these later models still had the same muscle car heart as before.
The Beating Heart Of A Muscle Car
If the body of the Pantera could be compared to a delicate bowl of truffle carbonara, the 351Ci 5.8 liter Ford V8 under its hood was a double bacon cheeseburger, a large order of fries (chips), and a super size cola. This combination may seem like an automotive odd couple, but people privileged enough to drive a classic Pantera will tell you, it's a match made in heaven.
The 351 "Cleveland" engine was aptly named because it was produced in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park, Ohio. Along with world-famous muscle car applications like the Mustang Boss 351, a couple thousand of these engines were packed up in crates, shipped to Italy, and found their way into De Tomaso's flagship car.
300 horsepower was easily achievable in both the Pantera and the Boss 351, and with a lighter body than the Mustang as well as proper sports suspension. The Pantera took the best of Italian design and American muscle to produce one of the definitive cars of the 70s and 80s. It was only in 1993, after 22 years of production that the Pantera was put out to pasture. It was then that the Pantera entered its second phase of life, as one of the most sought after collector cars in the world.
So You Want One?
If you're screaming to have a De Tomaso Pantera of your own, be prepared to make a huge gash in your bank account. In 21 and a bit years of production, there were only 7 thousand or so Panteras built. De Tomasso officially stopped selling the Pantera in the United States after 1975. You could get your hands on a new Pantera after 1975 through a number of different gray market companies, but this artificial scarcity means that buying one in the States in the year 2020 is a grueling and expensive ordeal.
Sure, you could buy a dusty old barn-find Pantera online for around $60 thousand. But that's no fun, we want the coolest and rarest ready to drive Panteras we can find. Want a model made after the 1975 embargo? Be prepared to pay well over $200 grand. When you consider that a 2020 Ferrari 488 Pista or Lamborghini Hurrican will run you about the same money, that makes the Pantera a big ask at that price range. Pantera owners generally know exactly what they have and will usually stand firm on their price. For the affluent enthusiast who just wants that classic Italian flair, no other car will do, and thus, we think that's as fair of a price as ever could exist.
Sources: Classics.autotrader.com