44 Years Owned 1971 De Tomaso Pantera

This 1971 DeTomaso Pantera was purchased by the seller's sister in Florida from a Tennessee dealer in January 1977, inspection certified and licensed, driven to Toronto, Canada, and gifted to the seller that same year. Following formal importation, safety certification, and licensing in Toronto in August 1977, the car was driven only on "good weather" weekends for eight years and then placed in storage until mid-2019 when a six-month refurbishment was undertaken. Work performed included removal and resealing of the engine and fuel tank, replacement of various supporting parts and systems, and rebuilding of the carburetor and transaxle, in addition to a host of other replaced components and service items detailed below. Motivation comes courtesy of a Ford 351ci 330HP Cleveland V8 bolted to a ZF 5-speed manual transaxle and upgrades consist of a Hall Pantera big-bore exhaust system, Fluidyne aluminum radiator, Sandin AC compressor with R134a conversion, BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires, and a refinished set of OEM 15" Campagnolo wheels. This 1971 DeTomaso Pantera is accompanied by records since 1977 including a bill of sale, a flash drive of photos from before, during, and after the reconditioning process, an array of removed parts including the OEM radiator, AC compressor, Becker Europa radio, and Goodyear Arriva ties, and a Pantera Technical Information book, and is offered on a transferable Ontario Registration.

The body has not received any body work or paint since acquisition in 1977, and is predominantly finished in OEM red over black. The seller speculates that the car was repainted and the factory split front bumperettes with integrated turn signals were removed under previous ownership, with front turn signal housings and lenses integrated into the front fascia in the style of late-model rubber bumper Pantera's taking their place. The rear split bumper was re-chromed in 2019, but the chrome door trim and mirrors are described as slightly pitted, and minor corrosion is reported to be present on the underside of the rocker panels, and small paint blisters have developed at the base of the windshield on the driver's side and on the trailing edge of the engine cover. Previously touched-up paint chips are present on the nose, deck lid, rear portion of the passenger side front fender, and the aft edge of the driver's door, but are visible to close inspection only.

Tom Tjaarda designed the body of Pantera while at Ghia and this example sits on 15" Campagnolo wheels which were refinished as part of the 2019 refurbishment effort. The wheels house standard four-wheel disc brakes which were also touched as part of the 2019 reconditioning, with replacement of the master cylinder and hydraulic flex lines noted in addition to rebuilding of the calipers, and resurfacing of the rotors. Tires are a set of BFGoodrich Radial T/A units with raised white lettering on the sidewalls. Per the seller, the OEM Goodyear Arriva tires, which will come with the car, retain 50% of their tread but could not be safety certified due to being over 10 years old.

The OEM interior is upholstered in black vinyl which covers the seats, dash pad, and door panels, while a perforated ivory headliner and polished metal trim provide contrast. The air conditioning system is described as having been reconditioned in 2019, during which time the factory-equipment York compressor and dryer were removed and replaced with a modern Sanden unit. Charge valve fittings are said to have been replaced and a flush and recharge using R134A refrigerant were performed, and the original compressor was retained. The seller says the carpeting and radio were replaced in 1977, with a Panasonic cassette deck taking the place of the still-functional factory Becker Europa AM/FM stereo, which is included as part of the sale. More recent attention in 2019 was focused on reconditioning the power window mechanisms with brass gears and replacement of the felt rear trunk liner.

The OEM Veglia Borletti 200-mph speedometer and 8,000-rpm tachometer are arrayed prominently in front of the driver and viewed through the factory three-spoke steering wheel. The five-digit odometer displays 37,230 miles, 13,000 of which are approximated to have been added by the seller since 1977. The center stack houses additional gaugers for amperage, oil pressure, fuel level, and coolant temperature.

The OEM engine is Ford's 351ci 330HP Cleveland V8, which was removed as part of the 2019 reconditioning. Work included a thorough inspection (valves, valve springs, lifters, pistons, etc.) and cleaning of the engine components, as well as replacement of the timing chain and sprockets, harmonic balancer, and water and oil pumps. In addition, the engine was resealed with new gaskets and resprayed in a shade of Ford's corporate blue engine paint. Fueling is handled by the OEM Autolite 4300D four-barrel carburetor which was also rebuilt in 2019. The engine feeds power to the rear wheels through a ZF5DS-25-2 5-speed manual transaxle which is described as having been removed and rebuilt in 2019 with new races, cages, bearings, seals, gaskets, and a 2nd gear synchro ring. The clutch and slave cylinder are reported to have been replaced around the time the seller acquired the car in 1977, at which time it had 24,600 miles.

The Hall Pantera big-bore exhaust system was installed in 1980 along with replacement U-joints per the seller. The fuel tank was removed, treated, and resealed, and new stainless steel exhaust finisher tips were welded in place more recently in 2019.

Removed parts, a Pantera Technical Information book, and other items will go with the car. A video documenting a walk-around, startup, and drive is available for viewing below.