My 1972 De Tomaso Pantera
Discussion
Finally, here are some pictures from last Sunday's Malibu Cars and Coffee as promised. It is a smaller meeting of enthusiasts twice a month and nowhere near the scale of the weekly Supercar Sunday show, but still a nice drive through the Santa Monica Mountains to the park along the beach. 
rig43p,
Come on down! It'll be waiting for you. I have promised myself that one year when I'm confident that it won't break down along the way, I'm going to drive it up on Concorso Italiano at Pebble Beach. Each year, a large contingent of Pantera owners converge there, and I'd like to do it as well. Maybe after my vapor lock issue is cured once and for all, I'll do it, and you can meet me there. Until then, you're always welcome.
Come on down! It'll be waiting for you. I have promised myself that one year when I'm confident that it won't break down along the way, I'm going to drive it up on Concorso Italiano at Pebble Beach. Each year, a large contingent of Pantera owners converge there, and I'd like to do it as well. Maybe after my vapor lock issue is cured once and for all, I'll do it, and you can meet me there. Until then, you're always welcome.
Abbott,
How observant of you to notice the flush glass. The interesting thing is just the stainless trim and rubber gasket for the original windshield, not the glass itself, is more expensive than the flush glass windshield itself (where you don't need any of that). And every Pantera including mine that has that trim has a joining piece that is not very good fitting and ruins the look. Since I never bought the car for investment purposes, I don't care if it isn't true to the original, IT'S BETTER! And it makes the car look so much more contemporary. The leather on the seats, dash, and firewall aren't true to the original either (as well as the Corvette seats), but it makes the car more comfortable, more enjoyable, more luxurious. It's not for anyone else's benefit, it's for me.
Thanks for you comments, I really do appreciate it.
Ted
How observant of you to notice the flush glass. The interesting thing is just the stainless trim and rubber gasket for the original windshield, not the glass itself, is more expensive than the flush glass windshield itself (where you don't need any of that). And every Pantera including mine that has that trim has a joining piece that is not very good fitting and ruins the look. Since I never bought the car for investment purposes, I don't care if it isn't true to the original, IT'S BETTER! And it makes the car look so much more contemporary. The leather on the seats, dash, and firewall aren't true to the original either (as well as the Corvette seats), but it makes the car more comfortable, more enjoyable, more luxurious. It's not for anyone else's benefit, it's for me.
Thanks for you comments, I really do appreciate it.
Ted
By the "little black things" I am assuming you're speaking of the tiny black "bumperettes" under the pop-up headlights. These were the original front bumpers on the Pantera for 1971-mid-year 1972. Originally chrome, I had them blackened. End of 1972, when the "L" model appeared, the U.S. bound cars got the large black 5mph bumpers front and back along with a flat dashboard without the speedo and tachometer pods.
The shift gate is original to the car and without which, you'd simply not find the right gears when shifting. Even with the gate, you need to "know" the right spot in the "fingers" in order to shift relatively smoothly, and the centering of the shift gate is crucial for accurate shifts.
chilistrucker,
Let me know when you're coming, I'll have the Pantera gassed up and ready to go. What I love about the Pantera's design is that it's been 50 years since it was penned and it still looks contemporary compared to new supercars (I would argue even better), its design was so good. As for the sound, no sewing machine whine like Ferraris or any of the Asian entries, just the growl of a big V8, deep, throaty, raw, powerful!
Let me know when you're coming, I'll have the Pantera gassed up and ready to go. What I love about the Pantera's design is that it's been 50 years since it was penned and it still looks contemporary compared to new supercars (I would argue even better), its design was so good. As for the sound, no sewing machine whine like Ferraris or any of the Asian entries, just the growl of a big V8, deep, throaty, raw, powerful!
I went to a car show/driving event this past Sunday organized by Malibu Autobahn at Zuma Beach (northern most point of Malibu) with the Pantera. Many exotics and sports cars were there, and I was parked next to a McLaren and a Lamborghini. I had many, many people stop by and tell me they liked the Pantera, a couple who said it was the best looker at the show. Below are a few pictures. 
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