De Tomaso Pantera 2025

0 Previous Owners, This Lot will be sold at auction at Symphony of Spring; Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 7th March.Rare Italian design with Ford reliabilityHighly collectable with coachwork by GhiaManufacturers such as Ferrari and Corvettes dominated the American sports car scene in the US during the late 1960s and Ford was struggling to keep up. The GT40 racing program has been a huge success but was in no way a production car. De Tomaso had designs on developing a grand tourer that would appeal whilst taking advantage of an exciting streamline design, midengined engineering and a significantly more accessible price tag that would also sell in higher numbers. It was at this time that De Tomaso purchased the famous Italian coachbuilders, Ghia, and began to develop the brandnew concept, De Tomaso Pantera by Ghia.Still using Fords 5.8 litre Cleveland, V8 with a fivespeed manual gearbox, the race inspired independence suspension benefited from fourwheel disc brakes all round and magnesium Campagnolo wheels with the master cylinders & battery housed in the front compartment for easy access. The interior featured an aggressive cockpit design, full instrumentation, factory airconditioning and electric windows. This early 1972 example was originally sourced from a private collection in the Middle East before returning to Europe. It has recently had a new clutch and pressure plate fitted as well as a new gear linkage in order to facilitate the driving experience, especially when you compare it to the equally good quality of the, probably original, paintwork.The engine starts up with a new battery, distributer cap and relatively fresh engine oil. The carpetlining in the front bay is in good order containing, as it does, the master slave cylinder and battery, also appearing to be sound although it does show signs of light surface corrosion. The De Tomaso club noted that the exhaust system appears to be an aftermarket unit although this is a relatively inexpensive item to change. It sports the correct Campagnolo alloy wheels all round for additional strength and lightness along with (205/70R15 front and 215/70R15 rear) Nexen tyres as well as the original leather pouch containing the scissor jack. These are highly soughtafter sports cars with a smooth profile, particularly collectable when offered at this price point. Consigned by Edward BridgerStille