Reply to "Pantera #5159 - Series/Year?"

It would be interesting to know what the whole history of your car is. It wasn't built as a GT5 by the factory, since the first GT5 was a 1980 model, serial #9250.

5159 would mean that is was built in Italy in 1973 or so. Importers sometimes play games with the date on the registration - such was the case in the US with the 1974 cars for example. There are even a few Panteras registered as 1975 in the US, even though none were imported in that year.

Simply a hunch - I'd guess it was imported into Australia in 1976 or so. I would guess that DeTomaso Australia upgraded the car to GT5 specifications. Do you know who was "DeTomaso Australia"? Can you contact them and find out?

You car has to be an earlier GTS converted to a GT5 for the following reasons:

a) GT5 cars hadn't been "invented" in 1976, so it couldn't have been factory original
b) The serial number places it as a 1973 model
c) As mentioned, according to the factory the first GT5 car was #9250
d) The interior has been upgraded in crinkle leather, but the heater/ A/C console is an early 70's type - the factory GT5 cars got the later Maserati-style controls

What does this mean? Looks like the P.O. did some upgrading for you! Looks like they did a nice job too.

Hope this helps, but it sounds like you'll need to talk to the P/O and/or DeTomaso Australia to know who did what!