1972 De Tomaso Pantera - Reader Ride

By: Nigel Logan

Date: 09.12.2016

Nigel Logan's 1972 De Tomaso Pantera is an eccentric time capsule

Nigel Logan's 1972 De Tomaso Pantera

It was first bought at the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lincoln Mercury dealer. The fella who bought it was described by the second owner as an eccentric recluse. He apparently parked it up in 1979 and it wasn’t pulled out again until 2010. A number of trees had to be cut down to get it out of the barn it was found in. The chap who bought it was an elderly ex-race car engineer who did some recommissioning work on it.

I managed to get my hands on it in 2012 and give it a light sympathetic restoration over three years. It’s completely stock – nothing’s been changed. We tried to keep as many original components as we could. The only things that have been changed are things like windscreen rubbers, door seals, and a couple of items were rechromed.

The engine was stripped and rebuilt because it had a noisy lifter but otherwise it bore out the 11,000 miles on the clock – right down to standard bores and original Ford bearing shells. So we replaced rings, bearings, valves, then the clutch, universals in the driveshaft, shocks – that sort of thing.

The interior is completely original – never been touched. It’s a good thing to drive and certainly gets noticed!

Valuation guide: An exceptional Pantera can justify a $250k-plus price-tag.

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