Right-hand-drive De Tomaso Pantera for sale

The original Pantera turned the Italian supercar up to 11. This one rips the knob off

If there were any Italian icon ripe for the restomod treatment, it’s the De Tomaso Pantera. The Ghia-designed supercar with an American heart has always been a rebel, standing out from the sleek offerings of  Ferrari and Lamborghini with brash looks and a thunderous V8. And because said V8 was lifted from the Ford production line, De Tomaso could churn them out faster and cheaper than its competitors with their delicately assembled V12s. The Pantera was never intended to be gently paraded around Monaco, but you’d take it there anyway just to tick off those having brunch at the Hotel de Paris by filling the principality with eight-cylinder rumble.

That’s in complete contrast to the reborn De Tomaso P72, which is very much a boutique hypercar with Apollo underpinnings and lots of rose gold detailing. The road car does at least have a Coyote V8, and a bespoke 6.2-litre V12 for the track-only P900, although with a price tag comfortably into seven figures it’s a far cry from the De Tomasos of yesteryear. The new car does however show the Italian marque still has its admirers (even if P72 sightings are few and far between), so there’s surely an appetite for a properly sorted restomod. Thankfully, this one doesn’t come with an eye-watering, Singer-style price tag.

It does, however, come in a shade of orange that’ll have you scuppering for your sunglasses. There’s no word on whether it’s the original colour or if it’s been put through a respray, but De Tomaso did offer a similar shade of tangerine to this very car for maximum visual impact. The ‘Pantera’ name in black down adds to the ASBO look (or whatever the '70s equivalent was), as do the matte black 17-inch wheels inspired by the originals, while the bespoke interior with orange over black leather means it’s just as striking inside as it is out. That said, it (mostly) retains the original’s look and feel, with the only noticeable change - aside from the obvious colour combo - being De Tomaso stitching on the headrests and the addition of a USB socket.

You may have noticed that the steering wheel is on the right side of the cabin, too. De Tomaso did produce the Pantera with the wheel on the correct side, but only in minuscule numbers. This isn’t one of the original factory cars, but the ad suggests it’s been converted ‘based on [the] factory setup.’ Less original is the chassis, which has been heavily modified and brought up to a more modern standard. Aluminium Koni dampers, a ‘chassis stiffening kit’ and larger Wilwood brakes are among the major changes, but there are also plenty of quality-of-life improvements such as LED interior lighting, remote central locking and a taller fifth gear for cruising.

Then there’s the engine, which has received its fair share of work too. The 5.7-litre Ford V8 has been enhanced with an upgraded manifold and cams, as well as a freer flowing exhaust which, according to the ad, lifts performance by 50hp. Should sound even more apocalyptic than standard, then, and presumably a little easier to run with a new clutch, lightweight battery and alternator. All the fun of a '70s Italian supercar with fewer gremlins to tackle, hopefully.

It’s a decent stab at a Pantera restomod, and while the looks won’t be to everyone’s taste there’s no denying a lot of work has gone into bringing it up to something like 21st-century standard. The seller’s asking £139,995 for it, which even with 67,000 miles is strong money for one of these - but, again, this ain’t no ordinary Pantera. Nor is this US-spec car, which, according to its seller, made a brief appearance in Breaking Bad. Yes, really. That one’s in a much more conservative spec of blue over tan leather and is a good chunk cheaper at £85,000. Shame the steering wheel’s on the wrong side, mind.

See the original advert here