1973 DeTomaso Pantera

Tony’s Take: There are two types of exotic cars that matter: Italian cars and cars that wish they were Italian. Enter the low-profile, wedge-shaped, mid-engined De Tomaso Pantera. Built from 1971 to 1992 in Modena, sold at Lincoln Mercury dealers until ’75, the Italian exotic was the people’s favorite. And why not? Unlike Maranello’s and Sant’Agata’s mad machines, the Pantera was powered by a series of Ford V8’s. Easy on the eyes, easy on the maintenance and repairs, and rare enough (5,500 imported stateside).

The ’73 De Tomaso Pantera was Road Test Magazine‘s Import Car of the Year, besting Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and Porsche. This it did with power-assisted rack and pinion steering, a five-speed manual transmission and four-wheel disc brakes. Ford’s 351 Cleveland was good for 330 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, propelling the Pantera from zero to sixty in 5.6 seconds. (FWIW, my Uncle Joe’s Pantera ate Countaches for lunch on the Atlantic City Parkway.)

In 2012, I was buying near-perfect Panteras for $45k. Today, they hover in the $100k range. I love me some Pantera, but I wouldn’t pay a premium price for this modified car. A $150k factory original car with great miles will double in value by 2027. (I know a guy . . .) This one not so much. In fact, if there wasn’t an $80k bid with six days left, I’d say it’s a $90k car. As it is, I predict the Italian American stallion will find a new home for something under $115k. Downside: it’s missing a Hans Device to match the seat belts, and “no title” = “no premium.”