I have just finished an update and consolidation of the 9000 Series Pantera Registry, and so I thought my revised calculations of GT5 and GT5-S production numbers might be of interest.
GT5
The GT5 debuted at the Turin motor show in 1980. The first factory noted GT5 is, according to Matt Stone and Rob de la Rive Box, 9250. Matt and Rob state, in their book Pantera Buyers Guide, that prior GT5s were probably recorded as modified GTS units. Franz Krump has also written that the Turin motor show car was 9250. So, in short, 9250 is one of two options for the VIN to consider for the GT5 start.
However, so far I have found 35 GT5 cars with VINs lower than 9250 (the earliest Pantera GT5 I have on record is 9107) and I am not sure how reasonable it is to assume they are all conversions.
I have been able to identify seven allegedly 1979 Panteras with numbers higher than 9100, and we know the GT5 model debuted in 1980, so I think it is reasonable to assume that no GT5 will have a lower chassis number than 9100. So, in short, I believe 9100 is the second, and better guess, of two options for the VIN to consider for the GT5 start.
The last GT5 in the official production run is 9374, built in 1985. There were more GT5 Panteras built as special orders after that, but only two are known, these being 9517 and 9542. As the GT5-S registry becomes more complete, it is increasingly less likely any more will be found.
Given that chassis were numbered sequentially, if we subtract the first car’s chassis number from the last one’s, we can get a reasonable idea of the maximum number of cars that could have been produced (assuming no more later special orders will be found):
9374 - 9100 = 274 cars
If you add the two known later special orders, there is a maximum of 276 cars that could have been produced. Next, we have to subtract the number of GTS, Gr3, GT4 and L Panteras built during the official GT5 production run, because these models were produced concurrently. I have found 36 of these with VINs between 9100 and 9374. Therefore, my best estimate of the maximum possible number of GT5 Panteras, based on the second option, is as follows:
276 - 36 = 240
If we use the first option and use the first factory-recognized VIN as the start point, the calculation works out as follows:
9374 – 9250 = 124 cars
If you add the two special order cars, a total of 126 could have been produced. Next, we have to subtract the 8 other model Panteras built between these two VINs.
126 – 8 = 116
GT5-S
The first GT5-S is known to be 9375, a 1985, and the last is the last GT5-S is 9562, a 1990.
9562 - 9375 = 187
I am aware of three GTS Panteras and two GT5s having been built during this interval so;
187 - 5 = 182
The number is likely to go down as we find other models of Panteras with chassis numbers within the GT5-S range but, for the time being, 182 is the best estimate of the maximum total number of GT5-S Panteras that could have been produced.
My 9000 series registry currently contains 316 cars:
GT5 90
GT5-S 118
90 Si 31
Other: 77*
• This category includes L, Gr3, GT4, race cars and indeterminate cars.
Going by VIN numbers, there were a total of 602 Panteras in the 9000 series. That means I am still missing 286, or 48%.
Without the vendors and the factory making their records available, I expect finding many more will be difficult. There are whole regions of the world where I know there are a lot of cars, but that are seemingly impossible to get information from. The Middle East, South Africa and Japan are the big ones.
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