1974 De Tomaso Pantera Garage Find
This 1974 De Tomaso Pantera L is claimed to only have covered 7,500 miles. It has been in storage for 20 years and is not currently running. This beauty could end up being a bargain, or it could just be an Italian money pit. Find it here on eBay out of Fairport, New York with bidding at $15,000 with no reserve.
The Pantera was a nice combination of Italian supercar styling and reliable American power. A Ford 351 Cleveland V8 was the powerplant of choice and this one could put out around 250 horsepower when new. The seller mentions that the typical mods have been completed, but a more extensive list would have been appreciated. They do state that the cooling system has been replaced, so that is one less item on the to-do list.
The L stands for luxury, but apart from power windows, a cigarette lighter, and climate control, there are not many luxuries to be found in here. Those seats do look like new though. If the mileage is correct, then everything should look good. We are more worried about what you can’t see in the photos though. Long periods of inactivity can be hard on a car’s seals and innards. Also, there is no mention of rust even though it is one of the Pantera’s biggest enemies. Maybe we are just being pessimistic though. We sure hope so because this Panther could be a lot of fun…
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Comments
This is a good buy for the money.
WOW! & what an unusual color, I like it!
The ad does not say WHY the car was put into storage with only 7500 miles on it. Since there are reasons that include being mechanically fatal and/or very expen$ive, I’d want to find this out first before considering purchasing it.
I Doubt it It was Parked in 1992 According to the info So 7500 Miles over an 18year Period Wouldn’t be unusual for An Exotic Like this. They were Tempermental cars to Begin With Elvis Had one He hated it SOO much he took out his 45 And SHOt it.
It would take more than two lines and 3 small photos to get $15grand out of me.
But I guess a lot of people will take the that chance to make a killing on the car.
Good Luck
Depends if you really know what you are looking at or just browsing!
I’d Deffinately buy it. if i had 15K$
The add says “typical mods”…I wonder what that means for a Pantera? I have seen everything from full chrome engine bays, mild hop ups, twin massive turbo’s, superchargers, and a zillion other different mods. I have seen so many different mods I am not sure what is typical?
When a low mileage car has been parked for 20 years, it stands to reason the low mileage is there because it isn’t a driver. And if the engine bay is rusted, it’s worth the price of the car to repair it.
Or sometimes people have enough money that they have it to have it ,but don’t drive it, ever see some of the adds for used Ferrari’s, 3, 4, 5 years old, with only a couple of thousand miles on them.
For what it’s worth, note the original Goodyear Arriva tires. Only on Pantera’s I believe…
I have grown to dislike these………..but, for the ask………..tough to go wrong.
Mileage may be true; those appear to be the original Arriva tires.
The body would be my biggest concern. the engine is easy. Ditch the ford lump and throw a
Gen 3 at it.
Summer of ’75 I was 15 years old. Hangin’ around our townhouse complex with nothing to do, riding my Raleigh chopper around the parking area in circles when I suddenly noticed a Pantera sitting amongst the station wagons. I remember being awe-struck, I think I froze like I’d seen a ghost. I stared at that car for hours when the owner suddenly appeared and got in. He turned to me for a second and gave me a thumbs up. I thought this guy must have been a movie star or somethin’. He drove a few feet to the end of the driveway, turned onto the street and lit those tires up like a funny-car through all four gears. I can still remember what it sounded like to this day. I’ve been car-crazy ever since.
Does anyone know what the car sold for back in September on ebay when it was in this condition?