Alejandro de Tomaso was quite the character. Tom Tjaarda, the Pantera’s designer, often speaks of his former boss and the challenges he brought in his monthly Classic Cars magazine column. Vibrant, colourful, controversial and sometimes a tricky character, it’s riveting stuff. In a way, the Pantera reflects that – and that’s why I desperately want one.
And this one in particular, in fact. In whatever form it appeared, the Pantera was an assault on the senses. In its original, pared-back design it was just as classically beautiful as contemporary Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Maseratis. However, over time, De Tomaso matched Lamborghini when it came to adding visual drama to that base structure. Now, your view on the Countach/Pantera bodywork adornments is your own, but after a while it became all too much. This car, however, has the wide body but without the rear wing. It’s perhaps the best compromise – it still looks outrageous but not trying that little bit too hard.
Not that the Pantera really needs to try – underneath all that beats a 5.8-litre Ford Windsor V8 heart that’s pushing out around 300bhp and 333lb ft of torque that will fire you to 60mph in around five-and-a-half seconds and on to more than 160mph. Well, a standard one would – this one’s had extensive modifications to the engine, liberating a few more cubic inches in the process. New cylinders heads, valve covers and more mean this is even more sprightly than you might imagine.
According to the auctioneers (it’s up for grabs at Silverstone Auctions’ Silverstone Classic sale later this month) the engine and gearbox have been stripped down, rebuilt and rewarded with a run to the place of the car’s birth – Modena, Italy.
The only real downside is getting into the thing – it’s a tight squeeze for those of a normal size and build; rugby players may wish to transport their odd-shaped balls in another steed. But once in you’ll not want to get out.
Frankly, it’s an animal to drive but don’t see that as a negative – whereas most new supercars require little in the way of thinking to drive fast, as American TV show MotorWeek said at the car’s launch ‘It always fights you.’ That sounds like a recipe for scary fun – the best kind of fun there is.
And the best bit (for our UK readers)? It’s one of just 17 right-hand-drive cars built, so you should at least see where to point it before unleashing the tightly wound V8 bicep behind your head.
In a current era of sanitised performance, the Pantera stands as one of the last truly frightening cars – and for that, you’ve just got to love it.