“Pristine” De Tomaso Pantera could fetch over £150,000 at auction
Low mileage example has many original parts
SUPERCAR collectors may may be champing at the bit to get their hands on one of the finest examples of a cult classic when it goes under the hammer next month.
The early example 1974 De Tomaso Pantera L (for “Lusso”, meaning luxury) is in “pristine condition”, according to auctioneer RM Sotheby’s, with low mileage, original parts, and servicing and refurbishment carried out on behalf of the family that’s owned the car since 1978.
Though the Pantera has been kept in running order, it hasn’t seen much use over the years, with only 4,818 miles on the clock. As a result, most of the car is as it was upon leaving the showroom: the paintwork and tyres are claimed to be all original, the interior is in “near mint” condition, and the safety inspection stickers from when the Department of Motor Vehicles assessed the car in October 1978 are still on the windscreen.
The Pantera L is powered by a naturally aspirated 5.8-litre Ford Cleveland V8 engine, which produced 326bhp when new, sent through a 5-speed ZF manual transmission. The top speed was a claimed 159mph and it could accelerate from standstill to 60mph in 5.5sec, according to a road test when the car first launched.
As this example is being offered at no reserve with no estimates, it’s hard to guess how much it will sell for, though in 2017, RM Sotheby’s sold a different Pantera L in a similar condition for $203,500 (approximately £155,000).
The sale of this Pantera is also quite a timely one for the De Tomaso brand, as 2019 marks 60 years since the car maker was originally founded; picking up such a fine example of arguably the firm’s most widely known car would be a fine way for wealthy De Tomaso enthusiasts to celebrate the occasion.
The car will form part of the RM Sotheby’s sale at Los Angeles’ Petersen Automotive Museum on December 8.
