CAT from the CRADLE
Classic & Sports Car|March 2023
An early pre-L’ Pantera demonstrates a visceral yet delicate nature at odds with the De Tomaso's unfriendly reputation
CHARLIE CALDERWOOD 
CAT from the CRADLE

Peering through the gap in the steering wheel at the obscured tachometer, you put the hammer down and the revs of the coarse V8 behind your head climb furiously. The engine feels as if it can keep on revving, but the redline disagrees. Dip the clutch and the car dives forward slightly, freed from the accelerative forces pushing it on to its haunches, but the gearlever can be thrown, with a satisfying clack through its stainless-steel gate, quickly into the next ratio then more power sends the car squatting on its rear axle again. The front end visibly lifts, feeling increasingly floaty and encouraging you to brake hard before the approaching corner. Downshift straight to second directly upwards from the lever’s resting state and it’s a case of pitching the car in with as much delicacy as your talent can muster, balancing the fiery power of the engine with adhesion to the greasy road.

For the layperson, the De Tomaso Pantera transforms any local B-road into the Circuit dela Sarthe, conjuring images of Ford GT40s, Ken Miles and night-time motorsport heroics. It’s slightly embarrassing, as a grown adult, to admit to fantasies of driving racing cars, but that’s exactly what the Pantera inspires.

By the late 60s, Ford was desperate for an exotic-looking halo car to compete with the Chevrolet Corvette, notjust to stop the General from gaining a march, but also to capitalise on the truly remarkable sporting success of the Shelby-Ford GT40s at Le Mans. American buyers, now awakened to the glamour and speed of European endurance racing, wanted a piece of that success on their driveways.

Esta historia es de la edición March 2023 de Classic & Sports Car.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición March 2023 de Classic & Sports Car.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE CLASSIC & SPORTS CARVer todo
RAY HILLIER
Classic & Sports Car

RAY HILLIER

Double-chevron oddity proves a break from the norm for this Crewe specialist

time-read
3 minutos  |
December 2024
SHORT BACK & GLIDES
Classic & Sports Car

SHORT BACK & GLIDES

Eccentric enthusiast Captain RG McLeod's series of Manx-tailed Bentley Specials reached its zenith with this unique S2 Continental.

time-read
7 minutos  |
December 2024
People's choice
Classic & Sports Car

People's choice

The diminutive but multi-million-selling Fiat 850 packed a remarkable diversity of form and function into its compact footprint

time-read
10 minutos  |
December 2024
PLASTIC BREAKS FROM THE NORM
Classic & Sports Car

PLASTIC BREAKS FROM THE NORM

Glassfibre revolutionised niche car-body production, but just occasionally strayed into the mainstream.

time-read
9 minutos  |
December 2024
A SENSIBLE SUPERCAR
Classic & Sports Car

A SENSIBLE SUPERCAR

The cleverly conceived four-seater Elite secured Lotus a place at the big players' table, but has it been unfairly maligned since then?

time-read
9 minutos  |
December 2024
"I had a habit of grabbing second place from the jaws of victory"
Classic & Sports Car

"I had a habit of grabbing second place from the jaws of victory"

From dreams of yachting glory to the Le Mans podium, via a stint at the top of the motorsport tree, Howden Ganley had quite the career

time-read
8 minutos  |
December 2024
Still going strong
Classic & Sports Car

Still going strong

Herbert Engineering staked its reputation on the five-year warranty that came with its cars. A century on, this Two Litre hasn't made a claim

time-read
9 minutos  |
December 2024
One for the kids
Classic & Sports Car

One for the kids

General Motors was aiming squarely at the youth market with the launch of the Pontiac GTO 60 years ago, and its runaway success popularised the muscle-car movement

time-read
8 minutos  |
December 2024
A NEW BREED OF HERO
Classic & Sports Car

A NEW BREED OF HERO

Launched at the turn of the millennium, the GT3 badge has already earned a place alongside RS, CS and turbo in Porsche lore.

time-read
10 minutos  |
December 2024
Brits with SIX appeal
Classic & Sports Car

Brits with SIX appeal

The straight-six engine is synonymous with a decades-long legacy of great British sports cars. Six variations on the sextet theme convene for comparison

time-read
10+ minutos  |
December 2024