This Rare De Tomaso Pantera is Up for Auction

The De Tomaso Pantera, with “Pantera” meaning “Panther” in Italian, was a sports car built by the Italian automaker Alejandro De Tomaso from 1971 to 1992.

It was an Italian-looking vehicle with American muscle that was well-known both at the time and even later.

Its design is attributed to the American-born designer Tom Tjaarda, who worked with an Italian design firm, Carrozzeria Ghia.

The De Tomaso Pantera was the carmaker’s best-selling model, producing over 7,000 units throughout its 20-year production life.

One of the rarest Panteras, the De Tomaso Pantera 90 Si, will be going up for sale in Miami on Friday.

This is a very rare vehicle, as only 41 units were produced, with two of them destroyed in crash testing and one in De Tomaso Pantera’s museum.

This leaves the public with only 38 pieces of the last iteration of the Pantera, whose production ended in 1992.

The Pantera 90 Si was then upgraded with a new base frame (chassis), new engine, and new suspension in 1990.

The upgrade, which was meant to boost sales, turned out to be its final shot, mainly because of financial difficulties and lack of new models.

In 1993, the car brand founder Alejandro De Tomaso lost interest in the brand after selling his stake in Maserati and suffering a debilitating stroke.

About the Pantera 90 Si

According to RM Sotheby’s, the vehicle up for auction is painted yellow and was brought brand new to Germany.

It is also said to have only 18,763 kilometers on the odometer, having spent most of its existence in Europe.

This Pantera 90 Si up for auction has a different engine, which was said to have been fixed sometime before it was purchased by a Belgian dealer in 2020.

It has the “Ford 351 Cleveland V8 engine,” just like the first Panteras, instead of the “5.0-liter Ford Mustang V8” that the Pantera 90 Si was originally built with.

The car was then imported to the United States, where it got a new distributor and carburetor in order to keep it operating.

RM Sotheby’s states that the excellent state of the rare automobile would be ideal for further presentation as the car shows minimal signs of use inside and out today.

They also predict that due to its excellent condition and scarcity, the Pantera 90 Si will sell for between $150,000 and $200,000, making it one of the most expensive Panteras available.  v