āAs you skim over the pavement in the Pantera you canāt help feeling smug,ā wrote Car & Driver magazine in August 1971 when Ford teamed up with Italian car manufacture De Tomaso Automobili to create the exotic Pantera in the U.S.
āYou hear the engine rumbling along from its station back by your shoulder blades ā a mechanical arrangement even novitiate automotive visionaries will recognize as a little piece of tomorrow today. And the looks. Oh wow ā like something that just rolled out of the Turin Show.ā
The Pick of the Day is a 1971 De Tomaso Pantera with just over 34,000 miles on its odometer and sporting a Verde Green color over a black interior. Itās offered on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The mid-engine sports car is powered by a 351cid Ford Cleveland V8 bored and stroked to 403cid and rated at 430 horsepower. The engine is also equipped with Edelbrock aluminum heads and intake, ceramic-coated Hall headers, a new Holley 750 CFM carburetor and MSD ignition, according to the dealer.
āIncluded with this investment De Tomaso is its restoration receipts of maintenance and performance upgrades, as well as the original ownerās manual,ā the dealer notes.
The Pantera comes with power-assisted 4-wheel disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, electric windows and air conditioning. It also features 17-inch Campy-style wheels with Michelin Sport1 tires, a Momo steering wheel and front and rear anti-roll bars.
Designed as a competitor to Ferrari and Lamborghini in the early 1970sā, the Pantera cost about half as much, with comparable Italian styling and an American V8 packing a similar punch in terms of horsepower. Ford and De Tomaso expected wild levels of success in the American market, but rushed production resulted in spotty quality, including overheating problems reported by Pantera owners.
Needless to say, Ford and De Tomaso did not see the success they were hoping for. After selling fewer than 6,000 Panteras by 1974, Ford called it quits on selling them in the U.S.
Despite the issues, Panteras are iconic in the eyes of many collectors of both sports cars and muscle cars, with its sporty design and wicked-fast engine helping it maintain its value.
According to Hagertyās price guide, a 1971 De Tomaso Pantera in excellent condition goes for an average of $88,000, reaching $122,000 in perfect concours condition.
The dealer is asking for $112,000 for this Pantera, which seems reasonable if the car is as the dealer describes and the pictures show.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
Doubt if a sale will be had with the C8 at a lower cost
I would take this over a C8 because of the collectability but with the non NOS radio antenna messing up the rear quarter, no stock wheels and that horrid color it isn’t worth 112K. It has pretty high miles for a Pantera so I would be a player at the average 88 to 90K
This is what auctions do. Just because ONE Pantera sold for $122,000 , now everybody thinks THEIR Pantera is worth over $100K. Their killing the hobby.
The internet ruined the car hobby years ago! Wealthy bubbas like Leno etc. send their minions to buy up everything at auctions driving up prices and putting psuedo values on cars. The fun days of Barn finds are over a companies even get rich on that producing stories of stumbling upon the garage with the rare Ferrari or Road Runner etc. I’m not rich I just like cars. I have to settle for pictures now.
Pantera good band
No thanks, I’ll take a Pantera over a C8 without even thinking twice. More collectible & rare… Will hold its value much better. Plus, its just a cooler ride,,
I agree with Carl; Iād chose the Pantera over a C8. Although I suspect most Pantera owners donāt have to make that choice given Pantera & C8 pricing. Plus, the two vehicles are not comparable at all, other than the 2 seat, rear American V8 engine config. The Pantera owner would probably treat their C8 as their everyday driver except for snow days, and pristine Pantera would be rubbed with a diaper as a collectible, like Cameronās dadās Ferrari.
However, given the production and pandemic issues an actual ā2020ā Vette may turn out to be like scoring a rare, early1942 production vehicle!
I’m with you on that one…But I’ve always Loved that Car since the first day in 1971 when a guy down the street bought a Silver on Black one…
my friend had a white one with black interior. was like riding inside a drug…
I Think that’s 4 !!!!!!
1 of 3 cars I would like to own, 96 Viper, 27 T-Bucket, 81 Pantera and a ’59 Chev of any body type.
When I was in law school in 1972 in San Francisco one of my classmates drove one wearing a Sherlock Holmes deerstaker hat. Very kool. I drove a 1962 Ford Falcon station wagon white with red vinyl upholstery. Wish I still had it.
I bought a red/black ā72 Pantera
at Lincoln/Mercury dealer in ā73
with 4,600 miles for $8,500 in mint condition.
An amazing car.
Worth the price to hear it rumble in the garage!
One major issue was overheating when driven at low speeds on local roads. Problem solved with aftermarket parts.
I wish I still had it!
Great job! To the woman author of the article! Value comments donāt bother us Pantera owners, as we love them and get mad respect pulling into any show full of Italian Paddle shift cars. Anyone can drive a C8, Lambo or Ferrari. But this car wants to kill you if you donāt respect it.
Thanks Michelle, I appreciate it!
Classic cars like paintings and other antiques will fetch high dollar. The cleaner the lower miles original condition the more money.
People collect them there fun. I personally don’t care for them anymore. Newer cars are alot more fun and less headaches!
I’ve got a restored/modified ’72 Pantera, and I would still take if over the C8, it just looks and sounds so much better. My friend and fellow Pantera owner (’74) just picked up his 2021 C8. So he has one of each., a happy compromise. I’ve had mine about 20 years and have had it back from restoration about 2 1/2 years. I drive it more now than ever before.
I have a 1957 corvette, this may be my next car eh!
( very seldom seen in Canada)
One of my buddies just sold his 1971 Pantera to a VERY famous name in the automotive world for $135K. He still has another, matching one (a “his and hers” for him and his wife) that he is negotiating with someone on now. Very interesting cars! I’ve never been a Ford guy, but I’ve always loved the Panteras!
Be nice. This is my car. It runs great and pulls like a race horse. Yea the antenna is stupid. But the hole was already there and you can bolt in another retractable one if you want. I solved the heating and cooling problems and added a nice stereo I never used.
P.S. The car comes with it’s stock wheels. My guru said don’t track them or go over 120 with them because they are old and brittle and if one breaks…
Hey Gil, thanks for jumping in the comments. You’ve got one heck of a car!
Mom has one that was my dad’s, he bought it directly from Ford Walton Hills stamping plant through the pep program where he worked for 42 years. It was actually used by his supervisor who was over 6 feet tall, it was uncomfortable for him so it was driven very little. The car is still completely factory stock down to the original Perrelli tires, it currently has 3575 miles on it. I’m not sure what the official name of that green, I’ve always called it Parrot green, but my father thought it was a nice shade of blue, he was colored blind with greens and browns. He had a lot of classic now high demand cars over the years, 70 Hemi Cuda, 70 Cougar 428 Eliminator, even a 69 Gapp & Roush 427 Mach I Mustang, all of which were sold before the Muscle Car boom. He made money on them but not what he could have 5 or 10 years later, but he never considered selling the Pantera. With all the cars that he had, and the ones we still have, it was his pride and joy.