Born in Argentina to a wealthy Italian cattle ranch family, Alejandro DeTomaso yearned to be a racecar driver, rather than carry on the family business. Like many racecar drivers and builders, he hoped to emulate Ferrari and build road cars that would embody the qualities of his racing cars and be fast agile machines. His first efforts began with building the Vallelunga, a small fastback coupe, and later the more familiar Mangusta. These cars exhibited what became a DeTomaso hallmark; to feature exotic styling on the outside but always have an off-the-shelf production engine under the lid. These successful designs were noticed worldwide.

Following the success of the GT40, Ford Motor Company was considering the production of a more suitable exotic street car in 1969. DeTomaso’s current project, the Pantera, was similar to what Ford had in mind. An Italian exotic with the heart of an American muscle car, this offering by Auctions America is a magnificent representation of DeTomaso and Ford’s best efforts. It is believed to be one of less than 12 delivered in the bronze color and is in splendid condition with very low miles known. The 330 horsepower 351-cid V-8 is mated to a five-speed ZF manual transmission. It has freshly refinished alloy wheels and is truly eye-catching. Noted features include air conditioning, power four-wheel disc brakes, power windows, heater and defroster, dual exhaust, bumper guards and tool kit. Also of note is presence of the original seat belts, carpeting and felt liner in the front and rear storage compartments. The car has been maintained cosmetically and is sure to stand out in any muscle car or Italian show field.