De Tomaso Pantera

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
For other uses of the name "Pantera", see Pantera (disambiguation).
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
De Tomaso Pantera, once owned by Elvis Presley
De Tomaso Pantera, once owned by Elvis Presley
1972 De Tomaso Pantera Interior
1972 De Tomaso Pantera Interior

The Pantera was a sports car produced by the de Tomaso company of Italy from 1971 through 1996. The word "Pantera" is Italian for "Panther". The car was designed by famed stylist, Tom Tjaarda and replaced the de Tomaso Mangusta. Unlike the Mangusta, which employed a steel backbone chassis, the Pantera was a steel monocoque design, the first instance of de Tomaso using this construction technique.

The first 1971 Panteras were powered by 351 in³ (5.8 L) Ford Cleveland V8 which produced 330 hp (246 kW). This was mated to a new design ZF five-speed manual transmission. Unfortunately, the ZF transaxle used in the Mangusta and Ford GT40 was not used for the Pantera. Instead, de Tomaso employed a cheaper and subsequently less reliable gearbox for the first generation cars. Power-assisted four-wheel disc brakes and rack and pinion steering were standard equipment. The 1971 Pantera could accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.5 seconds according to Car and Driver.

Late in 1971, Ford began importing Panteras for the American market to be sold through its Lincoln Mercury dealers. The first 75 cars were simply European imports and are known for their "push-button" door handles and hand-built Carrozzeria Vignale bodies. A total of 1,007 Panteras reached the United States that first year. Unfortunately, these cars were poorly built, and several Panteras broke on Ford's test track. Rustproofing was non-existant in the early 1970's (not only on the Pantera) and the quality of fit and finish was dismal (as with many Italian exotic cars, large amounts of bondo were used to cover body panel flaws).

Several modifications were made for the 1972 model year Panteras. A new 4-bolt main Cleveland engine was used with lower compression (from 11:1 to 8.6:1, chiefly to meet US emissions standards and run on lower octane standard fuel) but with more aggressive camshaft timing (in an effort to reclaim some of the power lost through the reduction in compression). Many other engine changes were made, including the use of a factory exhaust header.

The "Lusso" (luxury) Pantera L was also introduced in 1972. It featured large black bumpers for the US market as well as a 248 hp (185 kW) Cleveland engine.

The 1974 Pantera GTS featured yet more luxury items and badging.

Not wanting to associate their name to such a poorly built automobile anymore, Ford ended their importation to the U.S. in 1975, having sold roughly 5,500 cars in the United States. De Tomaso continued to built the car, however, in ever-escalating forms of performance and luxury for more than a decade. A small number of Panteras were imported to the US by gray market importers in the 1980s, notably Panteramerica. In all, about 7,200 Panteras were built.

[edit] Specifications

1971 specifications:

  • Engine: Ford 351 in³ (5.8 L) Cleveland V8
  • Power: 330 hp (246 kW)
  • Curb weight: 3123 lb (1417 kg)
  • Wheelbase: 98.4 in (2500 mm)
  • Front track: 57.0 in (1448 mm)
  • Rear track: 58.0 in (1473 mm)
  • Length: 158.0 in (4013 mm)
  • Width: 67.0 in (1702 mm)
  • Height: 43.4 in (1102 mm)

[edit] Trivia

  • Elvis Presley once famously fired a gunshot at his Pantera after it wouldn't start up
  • Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977) featured a Pantera II, driven by Frenchman Claude Gilbert (Mike Kulcsar) in the Trans-France Race. There were three other Panteras seen in this film. One was brown with few other decals besides a number 11 on hood and doors. A second Pantera was red with a black number 30 against a white square background. A third Pantera seen in the film was black with a number 10 on it. These other Panteras were not seen quite as often as Claude Gilbert's, however.
  • Tim Horton, NHL player and doughnut shop magnate, was driving a Pantera when he lost control and was killed in 1974.
  • A yellow Detomaso Pantera GTS was featured in the original version of the film Gone in 60 seconds, released in 1974.
  • Vince Neil, lead singer for Mötley Crüe was driving a Pantera when he caused the infamous accident that killed Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle (Nicholas Dingley) and injured Lisa Hogan and Daniel Smithers. The driver of a third car involved, twenty-five-year-old Karimi Khaliabad of Torrance, is uninjured.
  • Former Top Gear presenter Quentin Wilson severely damaged a Pantera when he lost control of it on Copse corner at Silverstone.

Comprehensive list of DeTomaso and Pantera appearances in Film, Television and Video.

[edit] References

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../d/e/_/De_Tomaso_Pantera_410a.html"