The Italian sports car manufacturer De Tomaso was founded in 1959 by the Argentine-born Alejandro de Tomaso in Modena. After the 1963 featured and only about a year built Vallelunga followed the much more successful and in 1966 presented Mangusta.
The Pantera (“Panther”) was intended as a successor to the Mangusta and was presented in March 1970 at the New York Motor Show.
The car was designed primarily for the North American market. Its inspiring blend of Italian design (brutal wedge shape of Ghia) and American V8-mass technique (351 cui-Cleveland engine from Ford, 5.7 liter, 300 hp) lined it into the league of super sports cars of the 70s of the caliber of Lamborghini Countach, a Maserati Merak or a Iso Rivolta.
Not to mention the fact that the plugged ZF 5-speed gearbox is the same as in the BMW M1 or the Ford GT 40, thus representing absolute top technology of the time.