1972 DeTomaso Pantera Pre-L 351 Cleveland (5.7 V8)

Summary:

Beautiful and Elegant. Like a woman's high heel shoe and, I imagine, just as comfortable

Faults:

It constantly overheated in traffic until I upgraded the cooling system.

Had to replace the clutch and brake master cylinders.

Had to buy new tires, which were outlandishly expensive. For both 7" fronts and 10" rear.

General Comments:

Quite fast in a straight line and around corners.

Quite loud though, and quite hot after driving for a while.

I'm 5'11", and if I were even an inch taller, I would barely be able to fit. It's not that comfortable as is, so I couldn't imagine fitting someone who's over 6 feet tall in there.

It's also very low - I have a hard time getting out of it gracefully.

The pedals are offset to the right to make room for the wheel well, which is lousy.

The shift gate was difficult at first, but I got used to it and the dog leg first gear arrangement was a bother, but after a while it didn't bother me either.

Guzzles gas on the freeway - I get around 17mpg.

Hard ride, have to be careful going over speed bumps and ruts in the road.

All in all, it's a super car from the seventies, it has its quirks and it's insanely beautiful and insanely fast, but it's far from a daily driver, and far from something that's comfortable enough to be so.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd May, 2006

30th Aug 2006, 09:21

Other than that Mrs Lincoln, How was the play?

Everything you said about the car is true, it's loud, low, fast, beautiful and did I say fast?

Sounds like you needed a Corvette instead.

Panteras are for a wind in the face, high speed, make no apologies and give no quarter motoring experience.

They make men smile, and little boys and girls dance with glee, they are not for everybody.

11th May 2007, 12:51

These cars will "creep and wander" at speeds because of the disproportion of the front and rear tires. We must remember that these cars were Italian American in an effort to combine power with grace. A little tuning of the chassis with the combination of creating an equilibrium between the front and rear suspension with some frame stiffening goes a long way.

Sometimes it's hard to remember that the car is a '70s car.

Distinct is the word.

13th Feb 2008, 16:48

Huh? Disproportionate tire sizes have no impact on whether a car "creeps or wanders" at speed. Disproportionate tires sizes are employed to dial in specific suspension dynamics. The Pantera was originally fitted with wider rear tires to create more understeer per Ford's requirements for American drivers, who didn't know how to drive anything but a nose heavy pig.

14th Feb 2008, 14:23

From what I remember you could have bought 2 new Corvettes at the time for the cost of one of these. I recall a college classmate whose parents bought a newer Pantera for him, also noted it leaving the campus almost immediately afterward needing a brand new transmission... perhaps too well meaning parents, or foolish or both? This was a car that caught more attention from the rear than the front, most likely due to the tires.