Reply to "Popular Hot Rodding article on Pantera"

Shelby's thing used a 318 Mopar engine. They tried and tried to get the next size block in- a 360- but it was simply too bulky to fit. So to save face & stir the pot, they souped up a 318 which barely fit. I doubt if the car was scrapped either- Shelby didn't throw stuff away, any more than DeTomaso did. Likely a 351-C went back in & was sold thru a broker somewhere. Nowadays of course, there are so many stroker kits & aftermarket blocks around, it might even have been possible.
Personally, I think the whole Chrysler thing was some sort of ploy- no way would DeTomaso have ever gone in business again with Shelby & sold him bodies after his screwing over their joint effort Sports 5000. The chassis of which became the Mangusta, and you know the story on where the name came from.