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Panterra Sighted

huck6

Jedi Trainee
Offline
I happened upon a DeThomasa Panterra the other day just outside of Springfield, OH. Kind of exotic for around here.
 

Eric

Jedi Warrior
Offline
[ QUOTE ]
Kind of exotic for around here.

[/ QUOTE ]

I bet it is. Much more exotic than a De Tomaso Pantera! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 

sammyb

Luke Skywalker
Offline
Most people really poo-poo the Pantera, saying it basically is just a fancy-bodied car with a standard 351 engine. While that is somewhat true, it's a 351 Cleveland, not a 351 Windsor,which was the most common 351 among Fords.

Plus, the tranny is shared with just one other car -- the GT40.

I've driven them, and they are wild cars. A great combination of muscle car, sports car, racing car and outstanding Italian beauty (ok, it was done by Tom Tjaarda, who actually is an American citizen,) with horrible Italian ergonomics!
 

Basil

Administrator
Staff member
Boss
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I've always liked the looks of the Pantera. The Mangusta as well. There are usually two or three of them (Panteras) at our local Albuquerque car shows)

Basil
 

PC

Obi Wan
Country flag
Offline
[ QUOTE ]
Most people really poo-poo the Pantera, saying it basically is just a fancy-bodied car with a standard 351 engine....

[/ QUOTE ]
I’ve never heard anybody dis Panteras.

Despite the unglamorous (but very powerful) American engine the rest of the car is as exotic and high-perf as any Thoroughbred of its day. Longitudinal mid-engine, 5-sp ZF transaxle, double A-arm suspension all around, massive 4W-discs, those oh-so-Italian Campagnolo magnesium wheels, low, sleek and sexy styling, what’s not to love?

They may not be exactly the same models but the Maserati Bora and BMW M1 also use ZF transaxles. Probably a few more too, it was the only game in town for an OEM supplied synchro'ed longitudinal-mid transaxle that could handle big torque.

Always loved them Italian kitties but I do think the Mangusta is prettier. The Pantera is definitely the better engineered machine though.


PC.
 

Eric

Jedi Warrior
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[ QUOTE ]
Always loved them Italian kitties but I do think the Mangusta is prettier. The Pantera is definitely the better engineered machine though.
PC.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. The Mangusta is one of my all time favourites. If I'd spent more time in school studying and less time daydreaming about Mangustas, I might be able to afford one now. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 

Super 7

Jedi Warrior
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The styling of the Pantera has aged very well. Much better than say, a Testa Rossa or a Diablo, to my eye, although those cars are much newer. Being a De Tomaso, they never will have the racing heritage of the big name Italian exotics, or Alfa Romeo for that matter.

A guy I went to high school with ran a shop in So Cal called Pantera Specialists for a number of years. They were in to adding turbochargers, aftermarket fuel injection, 427 engines, hugh tires etc.

For some reason, Panteras often get the not too subtle Corvette style modifications.
 
OP
huck6

huck6

Jedi Trainee
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My apologies to the late De Tomaso for clobbering his name. I have to agree to Super 7, the styling has aged well. Like the GT40, they both still look fresh and exciting.
 

PC

Obi Wan
Country flag
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[ QUOTE ]
For some reason, Panteras often get the not too subtle Corvette style modifications.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think the factory started that with the GT5 version but I sure never figured out why.

I guess they decided that their customers didn't want sleek and sexy so they tried pimped out instead. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif


PC.
 

Eric

Jedi Warrior
Offline
It was the 80's. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif Look at the Countach from the earliest to the latest versions - it was just as bad. A time when too much was never quite enough. Lister did some ugly things to XJSs in the same era IIRC.
 

Super 7

Jedi Warrior
Offline
Well, I kind of feel the same way about Lamborghini. The LM400 Countach was wild but beautiful. I remember checking one out in the mid 70's in Newport and again in Laguna. The LM5000 has tacked on Trans Am quality flares fins and flaps. They ruined it. Adding giant wings later on didn't help any.

BTW, when I came across the LM4000 in Laguna, it was falling apart. There were little strips of naugahyde glued to the slats over the engine bay. They were all rolled up on the edges. The carpet was falling out fron the foot wells. The right lower side window was off its tracks and all crooked in the door (what stupid windows)the glas or whaterver it is was all scratched. I was riding my bicycle at the time.

I later asked in Newport Imports about the car. They said an Arab prince bought it.

I'm positive that youth is wasted on the young. Is money wasted on the rich too?
 

PC

Obi Wan
Country flag
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Yeah Eric, the eighties was a period with some awfully silly styling.

De Tomaso was just ahead of their time. They did the GT5 Pantera in the seventies.


PC.
 

TR3cubka

Member
Offline
we have a couple panteras that come to the Hot August Nights car event here in reno. They are pretty well set up as track cars. A husband and wife own that pair. Yesterday at a circle track event, i saw another one beautifully restored which was being driven by a gentleman in his 50s id say. What i find interesting about pantra owners is so many of them still race their cars in some form or another, which is terribly atypical for owners of cars that are relatively rare and special.
 

Super 7

Jedi Warrior
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Entering in competition is super common with Lotus owners.
 

waltesefalcon

Yoda
Silver
Country flag
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The 80s testarossa can never live up to the real testarossa which were truely timelss cars. I think all around pretty much all 80s exotics, and sports cars are fairly dated looking. With any luck the current trend of the car market looking back to its golden age for insperation will continue to produce things like the BMW Z8, the Ford GT40, etc.

https://www.4wheelsetc.com/autos/image/FerrariTestaRossa_250_TRS.jpg
Long Live the red head!
 

Super 7

Jedi Warrior
Offline
In the 70's, when the 308 GTB came out, I was totally impressed with the styling and thought it was a tremendous improvement in styling over the 246 Dino.

WRONG!
 
V

vagt6

Guest
Guest
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I took a 300 mile or so round trip in a Pantera many moons ago to attend the Summit Point races. Roanoke to Summit point in a mostly stock Pantera, 351 Cleveland V/8 with headers and a few other goodies.

It's a beautiful car. And, it was LOUD! The Pantera is, of course, a mid-engine design and a relatively light weight car. The powerful Ford 351 Cleveland is situated roughly 12 inches from your eardrums, loud as heck. We wore ear plugs for the entire trip, the stereo system was useless unless the engine was switched off!

However, the car was fast. Very fast. 150MPH + no problem. Handled very well, too, like a go-kart with 360HP.

But, very LOUD.

I'd like to have one now . . .
 

sammyb

Luke Skywalker
Offline
The worst thing about Panteras (other than you have to have size 6 feet to drive!) is the scary break-away...The limits are extremely high, but this is not a car anyone I know has been able to drift on modern wider radials. When it goes in a high-speed section, you're pretty much toast. I suppose many of the racers have tuned the suspension better, but even a long-time Pantera racer I talked to said he was rebuilding one of his cars after a classic "break-away rearwards into the wall" crash.

But they are such pretty cars.

As for the statement about other cars using the ZF -- absolutely, ZF trannies were used in many applications. Tragically, the only one that will fit in Pantera without modifications (so I'm told) is the one shared with just the GT40, which explains why these boxes are wicked expensive!
 
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