PROVENANCE
C.A.D. Dijkhuis, Hilversum, Netherlands (acquired new via Hessing’s Autobedrijven BV in 1994)
Current Owner (acquired from the estate of the above)

EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS
Frankfurt Motor Show, 1991

The Pantera was born from the collaboration between Ford Motor Company and De Tomaso of Modena, Italy. Introduced in 1970, the Pantera – with its Tom Tjaarda styling and mid-mounted Ford 351 – rivaled contemporary offerings from Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini. When Ford withdrew from the project in 1974, De Tomaso continued to build cars for the European market; and over the next decade, the Pantera steadily evolved into a limited-production supercar. In 1980, the company introduced the GT5, which benefited from chassis improvements, luxurious interior amenities, and dramatic changes to the bodywork. Four years later, an even more extreme GT5-S model was announced.

In 1990, De Tomaso unveiled the completely re-engineered Pantera 90 Si, which featured updated Marcello Gandini styling. Substantially revised in all respects, the 90 Si benefited from a new tube-frame chassis and reworked suspension, creating a lighter, more rigid platform. The updated Pantera also featured a fuel-injected Ford 302 engine, which gave the car a top speed of 150 mph. Nearly all Si models were equipped with the proven ZF transaxle, ventilated Brembo disc brakes, 17" alloy wheels, and a well-appointed cabin with leather-trimmed bucket seats, wood dash, electric windows, and air-conditioning.

Just 41 examples of the Pantera Si were built during the model’s three-year production run. Of these, two were used for crash testing and one was retained for the De Tomaso museum. Only 38 were sold to the public.

This 90 Si was completed at the De Tomaso factory in June 1991, finished in a striking Metallic Black over gray color scheme and equipped with a special Maserati clock, Sony stereo, and Group 4 racing seats. As noted in factory build records, this Pantera was exhibited at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1991. Following the show, the 90 Si returned to Italy and remained in the factory’s possession until October 1993, when it was sold to Dutch dealer Hessing’s Autobedrijven BV.

The Pantera’s first owner, C.A.D. Dijkhuis purchased the car in November 1994. He drove it sparingly over the next two decades, adding just a few hundred kilometers before placing the car in static storage, where it remained until his death. The current owner, a US-based collector, acquired the 90 Si from the estate of the original owner in 2019 and has since detailed it to concours-quality standards. Still in exceptional, time capsule condition, the De Tomaso showed less than 500 km at the time of cataloguing. Accompanying the sale is an extraordinary file of important documentation, including nearly 100 pages of original factory build records, internal memos, correspondence, and literature.

This De Tomaso represents a rare opportunity to acquire a truly magnificent example of the 90 Si – the final evolution of the legendary Pantera line and one of the most exclusive supercars of the 1990s.