Page 46 - Experience Magazine Spring 2023

PANTERA AN EXOTIC ITALIAN WITH THE HEART

OF AN AMERICAN MUSCLE CAR
ON THE PROWL

The 2023 Palm Beach Auction has an array of exceptional serving Team Principal in Formula 1, who also saw his
vehicles for Barrett-Jackson bidders, including this team earn 16 world championships, making it one of the
1972 De Tomaso Pantera custom coupe selling with most successful teams in the history of the sport.
No Reserve. The Pantera was created by its namesake, De Tomaso's first production model car was the
Alejandro De Tomaso. The Argentinian grew up Vallelunga, introduced in 1963 and named after a racing
fascinated by racing, and after he was forced to leave his circuit. One of the first mid-engine road cars in the
home country in 1955 for his participation in an attempt world, it featured a 4-cylinder Ford Cortina engine and
to overthrow the president, he moved to Italy, where he utilized a lightweight backbone chassis, which became
would later develop several vehicles.
a signature feature of many De Tomaso vehicles. In
Upon arriving in Italy, De Tomaso secured a job as a test 1964 De Tomaso began working with Carroll Shelby to
driver for Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobili develop the P70. Once Shelby scrapped the project in
(OSCA), an Italian manufacturer of racing and sports favor of working with Ford on the GT40 program, De
cars established in 1947 in San Lazzaro di Savena, Tomaso evolved the P70 into the Mangusta, his second
Bologna, by the Maserati brothers. By 1959 De Tomaso production vehicle. When asked about the name, De
had become frustrated with the design limitations Tomaso often said the Mangusta, which is the Italian
imposed by the Maserati brothers and began to pursue word for mongoose, was the only animal that would take
his dream of designing his own mid-engine cars. Among on a Cobra snake and win.
his accomplishments was creating vehicles used in By 1969 Lee Iacocca, then head of Ford North America,
IndyCar, Formula Junior, Formula 3, Formula 2 and had taken notice of De Tomaso and wanted him to create
several Formula 1 cars for Frank Williams, the longest-

46 BARRETT-JACKSON EXPERIENCE SPRING 2023