With all the exotic automakers that have come and
gone over the years, it'd be all too easy to forget about De Tomaso. In fact there was a concerted effort to revive the marque just a
few years ago.
That project never came to pass. Which is probably
just as well, because it centered around a crossover, not a sports car. And
we'd just as soon forget all about it and admire instead this delectable
Pantera GT5.
The Pantera was the original De Tomaso's most successful
model, with an estimated 7,260 made. It blended the best Italian design of its
era with American muscle, shoehorning in a Ford V8 (initially a 351, later a
302) into the middle of a sleek and exotic form to stand up against the best
that Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini had to offer.
Of those 7,260 Panteras, fewer than 300 (some
estimate as few as 250) were produced in GT5 trim. More extreme and outlandish
than the GTS that came before, the GT5 featured flared fenders, more radical
aero, and an altogether more badass look.
Despite the go-faster body kit, though, the GT5 was
all luxed out inside. This particular model that's coming up for auction, for
example, has an interior all swathed in black and burgundy leather, with a
lustrous wood dashboard.
Consigned to Auctions America for its upcoming sale
in Fort Lauderdale, this 1984 model was recently treated to US$ 85,000 in
restoration. It's anticipated to fetch about US$ 200,000 (give or take US$ 25k) when
the gavel drops at the end of this month, but you can scope it out now in the
gallery below captured by Darin Schnabel for Auctions America.
