The GT40 is a wild, frenetic, noisy, visceral car to drive. It's small (and I mean small), cramped and hot, but it drives like it's part of you. The handling and throttle response are immediate. You feel EVERY pebble on the road and after you return from a long-ish (and I've had very few) drive, you feel like you've been exercising.
The Pantera – well, you know. It's moderately comfortable, rides pretty great for the way it performs and handles, it's not THAT noisy, it's got an acceptable amount of cabin room and even some storage space. It is a totally different car. I used to think that my Pantera was noisy, uncomfortable and fast. Compared to my Audi (at the time) it was. Compared to my GT40, it's a true GT (in the Grand Touring sense). In my case, my initial costs on both cars was almost the same.
The GT40 is really a track car, which is exactly why I bought it. I wanted to have fun and not destroy a "real" car if I got in too deep. I wanted a toy I could take liberties on without feeling guilty for altering a documented 13,000 mile classic car. Everything I've done to my Pantera to make it look more modern can be returned to stock in a day or so. With my GT40, the whole thing is an on-going project and I feel no guilt about making everything JUST the way I want it to be.
Which would I keep if I could only have one? Well, on this forum I can only answer one way, right?
But actually, it WOULD be the Pantera, as it gives me a little bit of everything I could want in a car. I first saw a Pantera in the fall of 1971 and I have never forgotten it. It was the first car that turned me on and started my passion for cars. How could I ever say goodbye to mine?Enjoy the ride my friend.
Mark