1971 De Tomasa Pantera
The Italian built Pantera is a mid engine sports car produced by De Tomasa between 1971 and 1993. Introduced in the USA at the New York Motor Show in 1970 the car experienced a number of design faults including lack of head room. The Pantera offered power windows, power assisted disc brakes, air conditioning and rack and pinion steering all as standard equipment. Over the years the model experienced a number of design and feature changes, with the last Pantera being delivered in 1992. The photograph of the engine, which is mostly hidden, shows the blue air filter sitting just behind the drivers right elbow.
General
Powertrain
Dimensions & Chassis
Performance
Unlike most of the cars in the collection the 1971 Pantera was in pretty rough condition when it was acquired. Essentially, the entire car had to be disassembled, down to the frame, and rebuilt from the ground up. The transmission and engine were taken apart, cleaned and reassembled using the original factory parts where possible. The frame, as seen in photos 1 and 2, was in less than stellar condition and required a considerable amount of seam welding and body repair to stabilize it (photo 3). Prior to re-assembly the body of the car was primed and repainted (photo 4).
