De Tomaso Pantera
 
As an Italian exotic brand, De Tomaso may not be as familiar today as it was in the early 1970s when it competed with the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini.
 
But in its day, the company was a likely contender against the Italian exotics, generally with a lower entry price when compared model for model.
 
During the seventies, De Tomaso offered the Maserati Quattroporte-style Deauville sedan and its abbreviated two-door coupe sibling, the Longchamp coupe and convertible, and the Mangusta coupe that preceded the car for which the company is probably best known -- the Pantera. The mid-engine supercar was designed by American stylist Tom Tjaarda and was launched in Europe in 1971 after previews in Italy and at the New York motor show in 1970.
 
With more than a touch of influence from Italian design houses, the knife-edged exotic was powered not by a complex, high-revving V12 but by a hunking 5.8-litre Ford V8 with more bottom-end tractability and surging torque than most of its competition.
 
The big Ford mill drove thorough a five-speed manual ZF transaxle that migrated from the Mangusta and made for a combination capable of reaching 100km/h from zero in the mid five-second bracket -- fast even by today’s standards and pretty rapid for the time.
 
The US market represented a decent proportion of Pantera sales, where numerous build-quality issues quickly became apparent. The car came with an unusually long standard equipment list for the time, such as air-conditioning and power windows. It was a bit tight inside for tall passengers and had the typically-Italian rust problems, as well as questionable fit and finish.
 
De Tomasos were sold in Australia from the late 1960s (Mangusta) and ceased in 1986 with the Pantera GTS coupe. A GT4 version was sold between 1981 and 1983.
 
Despite this, De Tomaso Panteras are rare in Australia today, with most examples up for sale being left-hand-drive imports from the US.
 
This early-model 1972 car is somewhat special though, mainly because of its low kilometres (32,630km according to the owner) and its concourse accolades at the Monterey California Italiano event where the owners says it came second in the original class out of 47 Panteras up for judgment.
 
The yellow left-hand-drive Pantera lives in the outer Melbourne suburb of Bulleen and is totally standard with absolutely no rust, according to the owner and everything is in working order. The owner also says it looks like new and the photos tend to confirm it.
 
Although it is left-hand drive, the Pantera will come with a full engineer’s certificate. The owner is prepared to help arrange right-hand-drive conversion if the buyer wishes.
 
The price is $79,500 and although the De Tomaso is not registered, it comes ready with engineer’s and roadworthy certificates.
 
1970s Italian looks with American brute force. A notable combination most of us would find alluring.
 
 
FOOTNOTE: De Tomaso went out of business in 2004 but, following a deal with Pininfarina to rent its Grugliasco plant by Gianmario Rossignolo, who purchased the company from the bankruptcy court in 2009, a re-emergence of the brand via a crossover concept unveiled at the 2011 Geneva motor show is being planned.