Hi Mike:
I'm somewhat familiar with the car - in fact, I helped Mike Mayberry a bit with the ad copy. I can't tell you a whole lot but here’s what little bit of insight I can offer:
I have seen the car in the air and can tell you that it appears to be virtually rust-free.
This Pantera is mostly stock, including the engine area, which means that the engine compartment is not particularly photogenic.
It received a repaint at some point in its life that has held up very well. The upper side crease has a hand-painted pinstripe that may or may not be to your taste but I think it looks okay. My first Pantera was this classic '70s "Grabber Blue" color and I personally prefer it to almost any other color Pantera.
The interior is stock except for the blue piping on the original seats and only shows minor wear. My personal opinion is that the piping makes the interior look a little dated and I would probably have it changed or dyed if the car were mine.
Before Mike put this car up for sale he sent it to Pantera specialist Steve Wilkinson to go through as Steve found necessary. I understand the total bill for that servicing and tuneup was over $2K.
In my personal opinion the car is a very solid, dependable driver. In its current state I do not consider it to be a true show car but believe it could become show-quality with a few inexpensive upgrades and some elbow grease. I found nothing that I considered to be a glaring defect and I'm pretty particular.
The engine is mostly stock, and while it would probably be fun to give it some HP upgrades and “bling”, it certainly doesn’t need that for enjoyable driving. I can’t attest to this car’s power personally since I have not really driven it and only started it and moved it around the parking lot for the photos. But it started easily, idled smoothly and shifted without drama.
If you can think of any questions let me know and I'd be happy to try to answer them or can take another closer look at the car sometime next week.
Matt Merritt
mmerritt@eventvehicles.com
