My 1972 De Tomaso Pantera

[Aluminati]

Epically cool car, much want.

[Bobberoo99]

I LOVE how simple the interior is!!! Stunning car tberg!!!

[Abbott]

Love the gear stick gate plate but I hope the change is a bit tighter than the wide open centre.

[tberg]

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.

[Coatesy351]

Nunga said:

What is the engine? I just read 351C, which i assume means a 351ci? Ford small block?

C for 351 Cleveland (Factory fitted) as you can also get a 351 Windsor

[chilistrucker]

tberg said:

Thank you for the kind words. I haven't taken a lot of pictures but here are a few:

Just WOW, that is stunning and looks perfect in every way, love the wheels.

I remember back in 1988 and having recently passed my test I decided to drive into London with my pals, just because I could. On the way home as we were passing the F.T.building we all heard this rumble, that just got louder and louder and as we stopped at a red light a De Tomaso pulled up next to us, in like a dark midnight blue colour. We all just sat there open mouthed and gave the guy the thumbs up, he smiled back, the lights go green and off he goes, very, very quickly, the noise was fantastic.

Should the lottery ever come my way, one will be sat in my garage with my F40 and my 68 Camaro

Right off to check flight prices to L.A

[tberg]

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!

[chilistrucker]

Thanks for the very kind offer. I'm 50 next year and there is the possibility of doing L.A, Vegas, and probably New York, all a bit cliché I know but its what I fancy, as never been to any previously. A lot of the music that I'm really into is L.A based so plenty of reasons to visit.

Your car just has 'THAT' look. Its of a shape I've always admired it definitely has that 512BB look about it, which is always a good thing.

[tberg]

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.

[tberg]

[Astacus]

This car has the second coolest name of all time, immediately after "Jensen Interceptor"
Plus it has the advantage of looking stunning.
There should be a drool smiley.

Carry on

[Martin_Hx]

I do love this car

[swampy442]

What a gorgeous car! Randomly a few pictures of it popped up on Facebook the other day, cant remember where from. I recognise the rims and interior.

[tberg]

I don't visit Facebook, so someone else must have posted pictures of it. Thanks

[F1natic]

Yup, she is a standout beauty in any company.

Did the vapor lock issue get resolved? Would love to see an engine bay shot if you get the chance to post one.

[tberg]

F1Natic,
I haven't taken it to the mechanic yet as I've been unwilling to part with it for the weekend mornings. (It's cool enough in the mornings and traffic is light enough on the weekend so that I haven't had a problem driving it then.) This Sunday is the huge Best of France and Italy Car Show a few minutes from my house, and my Pantera will be displayed there with another large group of De Tomaso owners. After that show I'll give it up for a few days so that it can be worked on. I have a feeling that even though I have a brand new fuel pump (less than a month old), my guess is that it will need to be upgraded to an electric fuel pump to insure it stays pressurized. I met another Pantera owner who had made a similar fuel injection swap on his and told me that when he changed to the electric fuel pump most if not all of his issues disappeared. I'll take some pictures when I get home this afternoon.
Thanks again for your help.

[tberg]

This is a weekend of great car shows a few minutes from my home here in Los Angeles. This morning is the vintage BMW show to which I am going in a few minutes meeting a group of motoring friends. And tomorrow the big Best of France and Italy Car Show at which I will be displaying the Pantera. There are always several hundred great cars at this show with everything from Ferrari to Peugeot and everything in between. I'll post pictures tomorrow afternoon. Fun weekend and an excuse to get the Pantera on the road.

[Abbott]

tberg said:

This is a weekend of great car shows a few minutes from my home here in Los Angeles. This morning is the vintage BMW show to which I am going in a few minutes meeting a group of motoring friends. And tomorrow the big Best of France and Italy Car Show at which I will be displaying the Pantera. There are always several hundred great cars at this show with everything from Ferrari to Peugeot and everything in between. I'll post pictures tomorrow afternoon. Fun weekend and an excuse to get the Pantera on the road.

Can you please stop posting this car ponopraphy it is stopping me from doing anything constructive

[tberg]

Well there were plenty of pornographic cars at the Best of France and Italy Car show this past Sunday, although the show seemed smaller than in the last couple of years. My favorites besides my Pantera were a couple of Alfas from the 1970's. And only Jay Leno could show up to a French/Italian Car Show with an outrageous Mercedes Benz. Beautiful warm So Cal day, beautiful old and new cars to stroll through and admire.

[tberg]