Car Spot: Ford Pantera

Another one of Lee Iacocca’s Italian deals …

Ford, and Chrysler’s, Lee Iacocca loved doing hookups with Italian car companies Maserati and Fiat. This week’s car spot, a 1972 Ford Pantera, I came across at the Cars & Guitars event put on by the Automobile Gallery in Green Bay.

Developed by De Tomaso’s Alessandro, the Pantera was designed to appeal to markets on both sides of the Atlantic. It featured Italian styling, which Americans love, and a Ford cast-iron V8 to power it. It was introduced in 1970, first in Modena, Italy, and then at the New York Motor Show.

The first 1971 Pantera models were powered by Ford’s 351 Windsor V8 putting out 330 hp. It would go 0 – 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and had a top speed of 138 mph. All this for only $7,000! It was a mid-engine supercar almost anybody could afford and distributed through Lincoln-Mercury dealers because it was thought to be too expensive for the typical Ford buyer.

Like most Italian cars of the period rust was a nasty biproduct and Ford got increasingly involved in the Pantera’s production process because of it. Road & Track described it in its 1971 issue as “Exciting-but not a finished product.” Even Alessandro De Tomaso admitted the car could be better, but not without setting the American customer back at least $10,000, the equivalent of $70,000 in today’s money.

Lincoln-Mercury dealers moved more than three-quarters of the 7,260 Panteras sold from 1971 to ’92. De Tomaso retained the distribution rights of the Pantera in Europe and kept making them after the deal with Ford ended.

Side story here and of course it involves AMC. About the same time they were developing a similar car, the AMX 3 inspired by Giotto Bizzarrini had a 390 V8 while the body and chassis were developed in Europe. AMC had gotten pretty far in development but pulled the plug when they projected an MSRP of $10,000. Way too bad because it really could have helped the company.

What are Pantera’s worth now? According to Hagerty, a 1970 base in Fair condition goes for $53 grand, Good $68,900, Excellent $101,000, and Concours $148,000. The value goes up based on its list of high-performance mods and can climb up to $250,000.

Thanks for stopping by and reading about this spot. While you’re here check out my other spots along with Mark’s new car reviews. Come back next Friday for another spot along with some of its history and have a great weekend.