Is the De Tomaso Pantera coming back?
In the 1970s, the De Tomaso Pantera was one of the top-class sports cars of its time. With the mid-engined sports car with Ford V8, the American Tom Tjaarda had created a design icon. After its launch in 1970, the Pantera was built from 1971 to 1993.
Now Ares Designfrom Modena, a modern coachbuilding company, wants to revive past automotive dreams. This could include the revival of the legendary Pantera as a new "Project Panther". However, as Ares is only responsible for body construction, a suitable technology platform had to be found. The Lamborghini Huracan with the 5.2 liter V10 could serve this purpose. However, it has not yet been revealed whether the new Panther will be available with rear-wheel or all-wheel drive like the parent car.
The body shape is strongly based on the historic model. However, in keeping with the times, the entire vehicle will be somewhat more powerful in all areas, which will certainly benefit the sports car from today's perspective. While the early versions of the parent car were a very harmoniously shaped and simple sports car, Group 3 and 4 racing versions appeared much more aggressive early on in the 1970s. This aggressiveness is already evident in the future vision of the road car. The shape of the bodywork is to consist mainly of carbon fiber laminate and is equipped with folding headlights as in the past.
Only a limited number of the car will be built. The first units are due to be delivered as early as mid-2018, but there is still no information on the price. So there is still some work to be done ... and once again one wonders whether sports car icons of the past are not better enjoyed in memory (or as classic cars) instead of being revived with new technology and all the modern compromises that are necessary for registration ...
