Ever since I was a kid I always loved the body design of this car.

I really appreciate your calm presentation and politeness. Thank you.

As a little kid in the 70s, my Father owned an orange ‘74 and when he would start it, it would make the hairs stand up on my neck knowing the engine was behind my head! 👍🏻

Beautiful car I've always liked the Pantera the fact that it was an Italian car with a 351 Cleveland just made it awesome!

Fantastic job. Hands down, the best car demo video I've ever seen --- even better than Leno's videos. Totally efficient narration with no wasted air time, all the information needed, presented in a very naturally flowing progression, great voice. Superb. Great car too.

Low , low mileage car with under 800 miles on the odometer , love the original look of this 351C.I. ~ Cleveland motor inside the 1974 De Tomaso Pantera GTS !!!!! Thanks Scarboro

no apology for this Pantera piece. "Average man's ferrari". Thank heaven for the vision of Iaccoca, Duntov, DeLorean Shelby & others. Keep the sports cars coming!

I always put the De Tomaso with the Mustangs, Chevelle, Camaro’s and Chargers , they are all Beautiful top class cars from a time that beautiful cars were made 😊

I wouldn’t apologize for it not being a Muscle car, that is one heck of a car. I’ve had 2 of these in the past and when dialed in, awesome! Getting ready in a few days to have another one parlayed in my garage!

I owned a 1971 Pantera from 1978 thru 2005. It was an interesting and varied experience. I bought the car for 4000 dollars. It was yellow and a bit rough cosmetically. It had never had any of the necessary fixes or updates from Mercury and now could not receive them due to the passage of time and 37000 miles on the odo. Nevertheless the engine was sound as was the transaxle. It was a Socal car so there was no rust. The car had some notable problems. Primary was it would overheat in traffic or at over 80 degrees . And the AC was feeble . The ultimate fix was a HDaluminium radiator more powerful electric fans and a vented hood w vents above and behind the Rad to facilitate getting the hot air out. The AC was upgraded by a Sanyo compressor and a better heat exchanger plus a more powerful blower motor. The car was somewhat tail happy which was solved by buying 2 VERY expensive wider Campognolo wheels for the rear and moving to Pirelli P7 tires along with Koni shocks. Along the way Mercury closed down its parts for the cars and I bought a spare ZF transaxle on a pallet for 2500 dollars. Just in case.. although I never needed it The half shafts and u joints were known to be a weak link in the drive line so these were replaced with stronger units. I should mention that a principal source of upgraded parts was Hall Psntera in Orange County. Run by Gsry Hall who also sold of all things vacuum cleaners. An odd combination but... whatever. After about 3 years and a lot of work and quite a bit of money I finally had a reliable Pantera. I hated the seats and replaced them with Recaros. I disliked the yellow and repainted it a dark silver witha wide black stripe along the bottom. It was now time to address the power level of the engine. My recollection is that the car in stock form made around 300 hp. At the time there were not a great number of aftermarket parts for the Cleveland as it had a short production run ending around 1975 if I recall correctly. However a friend of mine and I pulled the engine had the heads ported put in a hot solid lifter cam a set of headers and an Edelbrock intake topped with a 3310 Holley. After tuning on the dyno the Cleveland kicked out 419 hp. Recall that this was the early 80s a bad time for hot cars. So the combination of light weight a 5 speed with od and over 400 hp was interesting to say the least. 2 particularly interesting races are illustrative. I encountered a Ferrari 365 GTB on the 210 freeway early one morning who wanted to race. He was throughly thrashed Another was a 1973 Pontiac SD 455 coming out of Willow Springs. The Pontiac had the power to almost keep up but simply was run out of gear at around 145. In this configuration the Psntera would runout at around 170mph Later a stroker engine of 377 ci was built with higher compression and a set of aluminium heads and a full roller valve train This engine would run on 100 octane still then available or av gas which I could get thru a friend with a Cessna. This engine dynoed out at 502 hp With this engine in place by the late 80s the car was enormously fast for its time. In fact the car lacked the spring rates and brakes and downforce to safely runout at the 7000 rpm redline in 5th gear. I can tell you that around 180 mph the car was very light and would bottom its suspension if it hit an overpass junction in the freeway at that speed. The stock brakes were of course entirely inadequate. This was partially but not completely solved by fitting better alloy slightly larger disc's and smi metallic Hawk pads but not entirely. Remember I was stuck with 15 in diameter wheels. The Pantera was after the first engine mod and correction of problems from the FACTORY a delightful high speed car.i could leave West LA at 730 pm and pull into Palo Alto at 1130 pm running up a combination of 405 5 and 99. The Psntera was one of my 4 favorite cars I ever owned. The use of the Fird Cleveland engine allowed relatively cheap and easy modifications for high power levels. Nowadays these engines are being stroked to over 430 ci and fitted with updated aluminium heads. Properly assembled the engine will kick out over 600 hp. I suppose using higher spring rates Bilstein custom v a loved shocks 17 inch or 18 inch wheels bigger brakes and some aero mods like a rear wing and a front spoiler one could build a Pantera that was reasonably comfortable at around 180 to 185. Running on pump gasvwith a power level of perhsps 550 to 575 hp. And it wouldn't cost the moon and stars to do. My last engine using aluminium intake and heads dropped some weight from the rear and in conjunction with larger wheels and tires at the rear made the car less inclined to oversteer at the limit. The use of even wider wheels and low profile tires would probably with some other suspension tweaks get one to a very neutral handling car although I doubt that the car would ever be a star at a tight track like Willow Springs. So long as one does not abuse the transaxle ir seems perfectly capable of handling that powerful although a hydraulic Macleod clutch such as I used would be necessary. The Pantera like the Cleveland that powered it was never fully developed . DeTomaso was famous for his boutique cars that were underengineered but beautiful. The Cleveland in the late 1960s and early 1970s was probably the best street going medium block from the big 3 automakers. The 4 bolt main versions could easily and inexpensively be modified to produce over 400 relatively docile and reliable hp. In conclusion I s old say that the Pantera was neither a muscle car nor a sports car. It was intended to be a high speed GT car. It was under engineered in some re s pets for this role but with corrections could be modified to more th a n adequately fulfill this role until the advent of more modern super and hypercars beginning in the 2000s such as the C5 and C6 Corvettes fitted with 427 engines and enormously rigid chassis big brakes and sophisticated suspensions.and aerodynamics. That of course was 35 years later. During the 90s I bought a Testarossa. Beautiful car. Expensive. Not nearly as fast as the modified Pantera and certainly a handful at the limit in corners. Mine would runout at just over 180mph. The Pantera would get there much quicker with a bit left over. I had the Ferrari till 2005 when I traded it in for a MB E55. A delightful 4 dr sedan After a visit to Renntech the engine produced 540 hp. The limiter was removed and thst car would easily reach 175mph. Since I was now getting older that was fast enough. But I wish I still had the Pantera to play with.

I'm 52 and this car has been my favorite since I was a kid. Definitely a muscle car. I grew up in a chevy family building old muscle cars with my dad.

I've been fascinated by this car since it first came out. 😍 When it was in one of the Cannonball movies (Gumball Rally?), it was a thrill when the driver DOWNSHIFTED at 100 mph to pass another car. 🤪 When my father was an instructor at Sheppard AFB in 1971, he knew someone who used his reenlistment bonus as a down payment on a Pantera, and was told that it idled at 70 mph (the driver was probably exaggerating). There is a Pantera club here in the Fort Worth/Dallas area, and the members claimed that certain maintenance chores were comparatively easy in this car, or at least easier than in most true muscle cars.

Went to an auto show back in the 70’s and saw a Pantera and always wanted one. Thanks for showing it.

I put a water pump on one of these about 1980. Access panel between the two bucket seats made it a piece of cake. Later, I tuned it for the guy and he said make sure to road test it good. Well I road tested it great! Never drove a better performing well balanced muscle/sports car! Shifter and transaxle flawlessly operated, accelerated to about 110 mph by the 6k RPM shift from 3rd approximately 1/4 mile down the road and I was in 4th at 140 mph when the car started feeling a little light but handled and stopped like a dream car. Owner said he had it to 160 and still plenty of RPM left feeling it was capable of 180 but he didn't trust the tires. I believe it was the high compression 1971 or 1972 model in a dark blue color. Almost 50 years later we finally get a mid engine Corvette. If I didn't wear size 13 shoes and stand 6'4" I would have bought a Pantera and still be driving it and enjoying it!

The 351 Cleveland has its own sound!!! Nice car!!!!2022

I grew up in Charlotte when Holman&Moody had their operation behind the airport. I remember seeing large lots of mustangs then panteras awaiting the holman and moody tweaking. Now that was a fine place to wonder around in

Don't worry what others think about this episode. With out you and your crew we will have nothing. And with out you and others putting in time KZfaq.com would be nothing. So thank you the crew and every other automotive junky for the time and money spent to put into every episode. Thank you from John Zammit Toronto,Ontario,Canada.... Keep the shiny side up and tell me how can I buy a cool jacket like yours? :)

Interesting..and a story similar to mine...I had a race engine shop..never had a new car always a hot rod..bought a 1973 pantera and used only seven months...stored since then...now install cobra four cam

Love it and love the choice, it is a muscle car especially the 71, 72, and 73 models and super fun to drive, powered by FORD so it is in. In my book

i remember being a kid in the early 80's and a friend of my mom had a bright yellow one withthe black decal on the lower doors saying pantera i fell in love then and still love em

Just magnificent APB

Coolness! 351 Cleveland muscle! Great styling!🔧🔧😁😄 Great video!😄😁

Great review; thank you for showcasing this beautiful example of a DeTomaso Pantera. :-)

Tasca Ford/ Mercury dealership in Massachusetts had one in pumpkin orange in 1975....a new 1974 that didn't sell....they were asking $5,500 for it and I thought about getting it, I was 17 years old and my father was going to get the loan for me. I didn't get it and instead ended up buying a used 1973 Trans Am with the SD-455 in that dark green. I still regret not getting that Pantera. Years later a guy in my city showed up with one and it had a 428 in place of the 351C and a Lambo style wing on the back. This video made my heart sink with regret.

The 351C4V that came in Panteras were Australian block engines which all had 4 Bolt Mains which is basically known as the 351 Cobra Jet.

That 351 Cleveland engine with it's huge valves and ports had a sound all it's own. The basic design was used in NASCAR for 30 years.

As a kid, I recall going to the Lincoln Mercury dealer to pick up our new, brown 1974 Capri with a 4 cylinder, automatic transmission, and manual steering. We were in the service area and I saw a flashy car but didn't know what it was. My brother told me it was a Pantera and described its virtues. So, it was a let down to drive home in the "Crappi" as we called it. It was a good looking car, had a nice interior, but it was sooooo slow.... one time my brother was lined up at a stop light with the AC running against a cement mixer truck. The light changed, he stood on the pedal, bracing for the explosion of power.... yes, you guessed it.

Shelby Cobra was considered a muscle car, English sports car with an American v8. So this is also fits as a muscle car!

In '74 I was 14 and stone in love w/ this particular car. Ended up settling for a Mustang w/ a 351 Cleveland. Lots of fun, but nothing quite like that very sexy "Italian job," as my father and his friends used to say about the European and exotic cars of that era. lol Would still love to own one, but don't have the budget for it. sigh

To be clear, this is a Pantera L, not a Pantera GTS. The GTS model was no I ally the same but had a blinged-up stockers and graphics package, and riveted-on flares. My friend unearthed this particular Pantera and bought it from the original owner in New York, then flipped it to the brothers. He regretted it immediately but it’s gone to a good home. They also bought a companion low-mileage ‘74 GTS and both are on display together in their museum.

I absolutely love the Pantera, I would love to own one.

I always wanted one, but they were rare in the UK. I eventually found one for sale, but when I went to see it it was falling apart with rust holes all along the sills, and seemed mostly built of filler despite being less than ten years old. I gave up the search and bought a nice Maserati Merak instead. Still hanker after an early Pantera (before they pimped it with silly giant arches and spoilers), and yes it's definitely all muscle! Thanks for the memory, great report.

Time to go for 1080p! These cars deserves pure quality!

I have always loved and wanted one of these I would take this over anything ferrari or lamborghini had at the same time I just love the way it looks

I love the Pantera. There were cool looking cars.

Excellent video , the interior shots show how amazingly clean this car is , pretty much brand new condition,

I remember in 1980 a local guy in KC pulled the 351C and took it to Bob Glidden in Whiteland IN and had it built to rip. It sounded like one of Glidden's race cars and ripped alright. It ripped the transaxle right out.

Thanks for posting this . 351 Cleveland one of Fords most under rated engines .

In the late 70s I had a girl friend that owned one and I had the honor to drive it.

I really enjoyed this video, I truly love car history, no matter the car. Keep up the good work, and keep the videos coming I really enjoy them. Do more of the cars from other manufacturers it keeps the hobby interesting.

This car launched Panteras pizza in north county st louis mo. The owner parked it in front of the pizzaria. Yum car. Yim pizza. Cheers from Hazelwood Mo where a panteras still exsists

The infamous car that Tim Horton met his maker in. My friends grandfather actually got the ZF transaxle from the salvaged car. Nice example the red car, and the sound is really quite sweet. Thanks again.

I loved learning about this car :D you guys should do more episodes (or maybe another series) on other types of cars like this.

That is a beautiful example. I've seen so many of these cars totally ruined with 30" GHETTO REEHUUMS and 2" tires. I hope that never happened to that one.

thanks, and i call that muscle.

Some more history on this car. The reason it has no miles on it is the original owner actually purchased two - this one and a blue one. The blue one was driven and this one sat on blocks under a car cover in his garage until it was sold in 2012. The only thing changed on the car was the battery and the original battery was still with the car. The seller actually apologized because he had changed the oil at some point and neglected to keep the original factory installed oil filter. I suspect this video shooting was the first time the car had ever seen rain...

Vary nice car I remember this one.

very likable style in this presenter

It’s still a nice car. Real car lovers love all cars.

If drive this in a _heartbeat_!!!

I love that dog leg transmission

It show do sound like a badass muscle car.

Remember, the 427 Cobra was a sports car with a muscle car engine!🔧😄😁

Still looks modern

Drove a few of these back in the day. It's biggest problem? Cooling...

Would be kool if Ford could slot this in between the Mustang and Ford GT.

Those Arrivas must be like hockey pucks!

Probably drove the first pantera in country. Straight from Holman moody, they tweaked the engine, to bourgh Lincoln Mercury in Charlotte, nc. It was white and we had not seen a 5 speed before. Still doing gto' with 4 speeds. Very potent with the 351c. Sadly, dad said no. Maybe for the best.

It's an Italian muscle car, LOL, and it is more than awesome. I had a yellow 1971 model and it was the cat's meow at the time. I think I had some minor issues but you just accept them (or ignore them). Looking back, the interior looks dated now, but the body & drive train - absolutedly NOT ♥

I BY ALL MEANS AM A DEVOUT CORVETTE PERSON LOYALIST,(C1-C3.) BUT THE PANTERA HAVE BEEN A FAVORITE OF MINE,WHEN I GOT OLD ENOUGH TO BUY MY OWN CORVETTE STINGRAY,I WAS LOOKING VERY HARD AT THE RED PANTERA SITTING NEXT TO IT ON THE PRIVATE CAR LOT WHERE I BOUGHT MY VETTE FROM.THE ONLY REASON I DIDN'T GET THE PANTERA AT THE TIME WAS,THE PANTERA WAS $2000MORE THAN THE VETTE AND IT DIDN'T HAVE A REMOVABLE TOP.I HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL LOVE PANTERAS. THEY ARE MUSCLE VC ALL THE WAY.....

Bad ass !

Awesome car, I’ve always wanted one! Only car I ever considered selling or trading my 68 charger rt 440 for!

Italian Beauty with American Heart... HELLA DEVASTATING

Lindo

Beautiful timepiece. Not a GTS, however. Best bang for the buck, IMHO. Timeless italian style with raw american brute power.

I think the production run was around ten thousand...so there's a few of them out there.😎

l love the fact FORD took a chance on these because they exist !! ALSO you forgot to mention ELVIS HAD ONE TOO

They claimed at the time ('71, '72) that the Pantera was one of the four fastest production cars in the world. But with a list price of about $10,000 it was a fraction of the cost of the other three.

I see them looking this over today trying to create whatever mid engine they are tinkering with. Car was ahead of it's time and around at the wrong time

not to show the engine??????? Are these guys really car guys? The engine is the heart of any car.

I would replace the rubber bumpers with fiberglass molded ones of the same shapes. Align front one with the line of the sides. Paint same color as the car. Same for the rear. The look would be so much better. Know one really is going to assume you are going to get rear ended anyways.

I Want one

Not a muscle car?... had a muscle car engine... Don't forget Ford's European race history - huge. Authentic American muscle care?...maybe not. Authentic performance car? Absofreakinlutely

Thanks for pointing out the wheels and their manufacture. How about their size and the size of the tires?

Hmm, 2021, and now we have a mid-engined Corvette, only 50 years after Ford had one.

"I'll Always Love you Hayden Panettiere" because "I've Always Loved you Hayden Panettiere" "Your's Faithfully Forever from Paradise Pictures a Division of Fry's Enterprise Worldwide.

De Tomaso's continued with 351 Cleveland V8s but Australia engines with more output, until the late '80s when they just used 302 windsors

I noticed in the video (3:11) a panning shot from the passenger side of the car, It shows the gas filler door on the passenger side, when in reality its on the drivers side. Great video however. It's competitor at the time was the Maserati Bora at $31,000. It had a 4.7L 320HP V8 and Mazerati claimed a top speed of 170 (later proved not true because of the math on the ZF transmission gearing). So you could have bought 3 of these in different colors for the price of the Mas.

I like the 72 dash and car better! But these are great cars!

One of my all time favorite vehicles. Sure it had problems but show me an Italian exotic that didn’t.

Is there a 1969 ZL-1 corvette in the collection?

Kevin Don’t forget that Ford and AC made the MKIV. I have one if your ever in the East coast. Jeff

They didn't "fall" out of favor. They were "legislated" out of favor. Even the gas price increases were due to "legislated" inflation.

I would also make the engine visible through the back window

Amazingly low mileage. Why would someone buy a car like this simply to look at it? Its actually a shame. Nice video though.

Could bought one cheap years ago. Just a kid with no money.

de Tomaso was born in Buenos Aires, which explains why the company logo has blue and white stripes.

I believe if It were made again, It would sell a lot

Can you imagine this car with a modern Coyote engine in it,,,,

And yet it will spank most "Musclecars"

we need de tomaso to make the pentera come back.

Bitchin' Corvette/Pantera car scene here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/m9CJm8-K1866aYE.html

Thank you for the honest information Kevin. As owner of a 1974 "L"(Lusso) Detomaso Pantera #6656 I can tell you it is a great ride. The main reason Lee Iaccoca wanted the car in the Ford lineup was there was a rumor the Corvette would be mid engine soon. People ask me what year my car is and most can not tell it is 40 years old. The Pantera community is very active in keeping our cars alive, you can get almost every parts still today. As for muscle car well I have friends that own Pantera's and they range from 300 hp to over +700 hp and over 200 mph I think that is muscle car, ps sold my 1968 Formula S Cuda to get mine. To see my car here is the link pantera.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3350045562/m/256102243?r=256102243#256102243

Pontiac did well with the Fiero.

owner didnt let them do a burn out

What was the final sale price of this beauty?

ford need to make the pantera come back.

Beautiful car; love the Panteras. However, this one is not a GTS as the title of the video suggests.

I saw the comment average man's Ferrari. Not quite, someone that buys a Pantera isn't looking at Ferraris. He wants a rare car. I know because I have one. I can take it to a car show and it gets all of the attention.

Just wish they had put the boss351 in the car.