1972 Pantera Sports Cars La Jolla #1
Check out this mint 1972 Pantera on Girard Street in La Jolla Ca. This car was the best in show recently at the Huntington Beach Concourse Car Show. The Pantera has a 351 Cleveland engine and can reach speeds well over 120 MPH. The Pantera was the result of an Argentinian racing driver (Alejandro De Tomaso), Italian engineering and American muscle. The styling was handled by Tom Tjarda while Giampaolo Dallara was responsible for the structural design. Looking at the vehicle, it greatly resembles that of the Lamborghini offspring. The reasoning for this resemblance could be attributed to Giampaolo Dallara who was also aided in the designing of the Lamborghini Miura. The wing on the back was optional. If used, it would help by providing down force and aided in stability, however, it also slowed the vehicle down and decreased the visibility out the rear-view mirror. The engine was a V8 borrowed from the Ford Mustang and the 5-speed transaxle was that of the Ford GT40. The design of the car was intended to be simple. The reasoning was to mass-produce these easy-to-assemble cars. An ambitious goal of 5000 vehicles a year was set. Ford aided with some of the financing. Their part of the deal was to retain distribution rights in the US while DeTomaso could have the European market. Ford was the first to back out, after energy crises were becoming more common in the 1970's, coupled with poor build quality of the vehicle. DeTomaso continued but in limited production. For more <b>...</b>
