Reply to "Pantera #9483 - 1987 GTS"

This indeed looks like the Seabrook car. I have inspected this car first hand and drove it in 2003 when I was looking for a car. The car drove well, but the engine probably needed new valve seals at the time. The transmission was very good.

I did not buy the car because being a later car I don't think it would have passed emissions with the motor I eventually built and put into the 1973 GTS I did end up buying. The engine bay was incredibly dirty when I inspected the car. I know that at that time the car had sat for sale for many years at Ramsey Peugot, in Ramsey NJ.

The interior showed a fair amount of wear and was thread bare in several spots. The passenger seat and drivers seat were covered with similar upholstery but were different designs. There were multiple loose wires hanging from spots in the dash. Also the wood facia on the dash was pretty badly cracked when I drove the car.

The car was eventually sold to a local body shop worker who had always lusted after a Pantera. At that time it sold for around $22,000. This was around 2004. He discovered a bucnh of small electrical issues which i believe were fixed. He may have also replaced the headers as they were leaking from some cracks. He brought it to some local shows but eventually he sold it. He said he was going to open up a paint shop with the money from the sale. That deal fell through and he lost most of his money. I also don't think his wife liked the car very much.

He sold the car to another individual who is in all likliehood the same individual selling it now. (He also got seller's regret and tried to buy the car back but the new owner tried to mark up the car another $15K, looking to sell it very soon after buying it and apparently cleaning it up.)

It looks like the current owner has cleaned up the car quite a bit. The transmission looks painted or bead blasted, which was not how it was when I looked at the car. Back then it was filthy. The intake manifold looks cleaned up as well, so I think that the new owner spent a considerable amount of time making the car better cosmetically.

The car is certainly only one of 2 or 3 made in 1987 as a narrow body car as DeTomaso was making 5S's at that time. But I think as it has been said before a customer could order just about any combination of body styles, wings, interior, etc to suit there tastes. I have spoken with Charlie Seabrook several times about this car and he confirms that it was a very strong running car when he had it and he expressed some regret for having gotten rid of, for of all things a BMW I believe.