De Tomaso Pantera II

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De Tomaso
De Tomaso Pantera Series II Front.jpg

De Tomaso Pantera II

Pantera II
Pantera 7x
Monttella
Presentation year: 1974
Vehicle fair: Detroit Auto Show
Chicago Auto Show
Los Angeles Auto Show
Class : Sports car
Body shape : Coupe
Engine: Otto engine :
5.8 liters
Length: 176.5 in or approx. 4485 mm
Width: 71.3 in or approx. 1810 mm
Height: 44.4 in or approx. 1125 mm
Wheelbase: 98.4 in or approx. 2500 mm
Production model: none

The De Tomaso Pantera II (also: De Tomaso Pantera 7x , De Tomaso Montella , De Tomaso Monttella ) is a ready-to- drive prototype from the Italian sports car manufacturer De Tomaso . The mid-engine coupe built by Ghia was intended as a concept for the successor to the De Tomaso Pantera . Series production, however, did not materialize.

Model history

The Modena- based company Automobili De Tomaso, after initially designing racing cars for Formula 1, has been manufacturing road sports cars since the mid-1960s. The Vallelunga from 1963, which was produced in 55 copies, was followed three years later with the Mangusta De Tomasos, the first sports car, which was equipped with a large US eight-cylinder engine. 400 vehicles were built by him in four years. In search of a larger sales market, the company entered into a relationship with the Ford group in 1969 . In connection with a larger deal, which also included the takeover of the body manufacturer Ghia, which belongs to Alejandro de Tomaso , Ford was ready to sell a revised, everyday version of the Mangusta in large numbers on the US market. De Tomaso then further developed the Mangusta into the Pantera, which had an independent body and an improved chassis, but conceptually largely resembled its predecessor. Ford drove the Italian-built Pantera 1971 in the United States through the network of Lincoln - Mercury dealers. The project was initially a success. By 1974 Ford was able to sell more than 5000 Panteras.

In 1973, De Tomaso began planning a successor to the Pantera. De Tomaso commissioned Ghia to design a new body. Ghias then chief designer Tom Tjaarda took over the execution . Its design was formally independent, but followed the layout of the Pantera, the body shell of which remained essentially unchanged. Ghia built a ready-to-drive prototype of the model by hand using Pantera technology. In doing so, consideration was also given to the upcoming new safety regulations and the stricter emissions standards that came into force in California in 1975. It was therefore planned to install the 400 cuin engine (6.6 liter engine) converted to the new standard. In spring 1974, the bronze painted cars under the names Pantera II or Pantera 7x was (7x was and is seen as an icon on the B-pillars of the vehicle) at exhibitions such as the Detroit Auto Show , Chicago Auto Show and Los Angeles Auto Show publicly shown. In the months that followed, Ford and De Tomaso ended their relationship. The main triggers were considerable quality defects in the Pantera, because of which numerous customers made warranty claims at Ford and the drop in sales due to the oil crisis. Ford ended the sale of the Pantera in the late summer of 1974. Since De Tomaso had made numerous bodies for the sports car in stock, the Pantera could not be replaced for the time being. First the prepared panteras should be completed and sold, which dragged on until 1976.

It wasn't until 1975 that the prototype, which had meanwhile been painted in two colors, but otherwise unchanged, was shown to the public again, although the car was now called De Tomaso Montella. For the renaming, the Pantera lettering was removed from the front bumper and the rear bonnet and it was given two Monttella 5.7 lettering on each side directly behind the doors. The 7x symbols were retained on the B-pillars. In 1975 the Montella was brought to the United States and received approval in the state of Michigan . De Tomaso hoped that another group would be interested in marketing the car. It didn't come to that. In 1981 a private customer bought the vehicle and used it in everyday life for a few years. In 2007 the car was auctioned off by RM Sotheby's as De Tomaso Montella at the Sports & Classic Car Auction in Monterey to an Italian for $ 99,000. He restored the coupé with the help of Tom Tjaarda for De Tomaso Pantera II. The first presentation of the prototype was in 2008 at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este . The vehicle has a two-line badge on the rear right of the bonnet with the inscription: De Tomaso Monttella - Torino, Italia 1/1 . De Tomaso produced the Pantera in its 1971 form until 1990; a stylistically slightly modified version remained in the program until 1994.

Designations

Pantera II and 7x

The name Pantera is the Italian word for panther. 2 or II stands for the second and further developed version of the Pantera. About the meaning of the designation 7x or 7X it is assumed that it stands for the as yet unknown production year 197x. An official statement has not yet been found.

Montella and Monttella

Although the vehicle was called Monttella (with a double T) in 1975, the name Montella (only with a T) has also spread. Even the auction house RM Sotheby's names the Coupé Montella on their website. The meaning of the name is currently unknown.

Model description

Free-standing roof struts: Pantera II

De Tomaso adopted the main design features of the Pantera for the Pantera II. Drive and chassis were completely the same; like the production model, the Pantera II also had a 5.8-liter eight-cylinder V-engine from Ford. The body-in-white, the glazing and the interior fittings were also adopted. The front section and the sides of the car were, however, designed to be smoother; the prominent angles of the first Pantera were omitted. A noticeable design feature were the free-standing, non-glazed struts that connected the roof section to the rear end. Tom Tjaarda quoted the rear design of the Maserati Merak designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro . The front safety bumpers were integrated into the body, the rear ones were attached.

literature

Web links

Commons : De Tomaso Pantera II  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Classic Concepts: De Tomaso Pantera II / Monttella website of Classic Driver. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  2. ↑ a b Image file: De Tomaso Monttella website from AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES Srl. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  3. ↑ PDF file: Ford News Release website from AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES Srl. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  4. ↑ a b De Tomaso Montella Concept Car - 1973 website of Ruote Vecchie - Classic Cars Passion. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  5. ↑ a b c 1973 De Tomaso Pantera II 7x Montella website of AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES Srl. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  6. ↑ a b 1973 De Tomaso Montella Concept Car website from RM Sotheby's. Retrieved June 18, 2019.