One to Buy: stored for 37 years 22,000km 1985 De Tomaso Pantera GT5S
The wide-bodied Pantera GT5 unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in November 1980 ushered in the kind of fat arches, deep side skirts and massive spoilers that were so in vogue at the time. However, as soft curves gradually became more popular, De Tomaso elected to move with the times and introduce arguably the sleekest Pantera yet: the GT5S.
First shown at the Turin Salon in November 1984, the GT5S featured a smoother, all-steel body whereas the GT5’s additions had mostly been fashioned from fibreglass and fastened into place in a style reminiscent of 1970’s Group 4 and 5 racing cars.
Under the skin, the two models were identical while inside, the GT5S adopted the same high end specification as the GT5 which remained in production alongside its handsome new counterpart.
By the time GT5S production came to an end in mid 1990, a little under 200 had been completed and one of these, chassis ‘9431,’ is set to go under the hammer at Bonhams online sale which ends on December 4th.
A 1985 left-hand drive example finished in Rosso with Nero upholstery and without the optional rear spoiler that simply adds weight and does nothing to improve the car’s look, ‘9431’ is currently showing a little over 22,000km and is being sold without reserve.
The car is reputedly driveable but, having been on static display since 1987, will require recommissioning prior to use.
Reprinted below is Bonhams’ description:
Chassis no. ZDT874000GA009431
Mid-engined supercar with advanced unitary construction chassis
Dutch registration document
Having established himself as a serious automobile manufacturer with the Mangusta coupé, Alejandro De Tomaso commissioned Lamborghini designer Gianpaolo Dallara to produce the chassis for his new mid-engined supercar: the Pantera.
Dallara opted for unitary construction for the steel chassis/body - abandoning the Mangusta's backbone frame - and competition-specification double wishbone/coil-spring suspension all round.
The Ford Motor Company was De Tomaso's partner at the time of the Pantera's introduction in 1971 and thus the Pantera, like the Mangusta, relied on Ford V8 power. Mated to an all-synchro ZF five-speed transaxle, the 351ci (5.8-litre) Cleveland engine varied in output depending on the destination market, and in European trim came with 330bhp on tap, enabling the Pantera to complete the 0-100km/h) sprint in a little over 5 seconds and touch 260km/h flat out.
Styled by Tom Tjaarda at Carrozzeria Ghia, the stunning coupé body was in fact built by Vignale, both companies being part of De Tomaso's empire in the early 1970s.
Exceptionally long-lived for a supercar, the Pantera was still around in the 1990s having undergone a series of upgrades.
The first major revision of the Pantera's body style occurred in 1980 with the introduction of the GT5 which, with its deep front air dam and delta-wing rear spoiler, represented one of the earliest examples of these aerodynamic devices being applied to passenger car design.
Introduced for 1985, the GT5-S incorporated further revisions to the bodywork while its interior was significantly upgraded, rivalling that of many a luxury limousine. With the supply of Cleveland engines running out, De Tomaso switched to the Ford Windsor V8, at first in 351ci (5.7 litres) form and then 302ci (5.0 litres).
Production of the world longest-running supercar finally ceased in 1993.
This Pantera GT5 shows 22,303 km on its five-digit odometer and features a beautifully patinated interior. It comes with a Dutch registration document.
Although it has been kept on static display in the last 37 years, it is currently drivable, but service will be required before it returns to the road.
