Coys Auction - Spring Classics
Royal Horticultural Halls
Elverton St
Westminster
London SW1
Tuesday 8 March 2011
Estimate: £25,000 - £30,000
In many ways the De Tomaso Pantera can be likened to the road-going Ford GT40. Not only was it sanctioned by Ford, keen to have a machine to attract customers into its showrooms, but also it had similar mid-engine layout using a large capacity Ford V8 mated to the same five speed ZF transaxle. The Ford association was one that Alejandro de Tomaso was quick to capitalise on after producing his first car, the 1965 British Ford-engined Vallelunga. That grew into the Mangusta of 1966 with the 4.7 litre V8 used in the AC Cobra but sales were poor, not helped by a backbone chassis that was too flexible and under-developed suspension.
Thus for the Pantera - meaning Panther- an all-new monocoque chassis was chosen, both for stiffness and to pass the all important American crash tests, together with wishbone/coil spring suspension front and rear designed b