SOLD!: 1973 Pantera GTS (Euro)

Now that they are gone, I will address this add to anyone still reading. Yep she has THE rust issue. That is the one where the inner rear quarter panels rust down by the lower a-arm. It may have rust other places too, I just don’t know about those places, but I am sure about these a-arm rust places on both panels. Yep you can poke through with one of those little pocket screwdrivers. The frame the sheet metal attaches to is solid, but at the very least it will need to have new sheet metal panels welded in and those sheet metal panels are over $500 bucks apiece from the vendors. Then if you do that you have to remove all the suspension pieces which means new bushing and rebuild this and that and before you know it, you are talking some heavy duty money and if you are try6ing to do it yourself, bookoo time and worry and sleepless nights. If you have someone who knows what they are doing do it for you, it will cost you ten grand and probably more like 15. I know you may get someone who will quote lower, but believe me, once they get the car apart, they will show you this problem and that thing that needs fixing. They will talk you into buying huge airplane brakes and racing engines and rocket assister boosters and stuff, and before you know it you will slap your forehead and say to yourself “WOW! I could of had a new Ferrari instead.” If that happens, don’t blame me because I tried to warn you, but you wouldn’t listen.

What??? Are you still reading??? What the hell is wrong with you?? I tried to tell you what you are getting into. Oh well, you are an adult, so I will tell you more about the car for sale. It also has some cracks in the paint because they used lead filler back in the day and that work hardened and caused paint to crack. The headlights work, they pop up but don’t go back down on their own so you have to wind them down. That means that the relay switch up front is either in need of adjustment or worst case, replacement. Also air conditioner leaks out coolant so fast you can’t keep it full for more than a day. Besides Freon is now unubtanium so I would say it needs a whole new air conditionioner. Also the back up lights are unhooked because I busted off the switch making sure it was nice and tight. Doh! But other than that everything is there and works ok,

What do I mean by everything? Well it has the engine screen with those wing nuts that hold it on. It has the tub trunk and the inflatable spare that came with it, it has the leather tool bag with the original tools in it, all except for the jack, which isn’t there. It even has those tub hold down thingies that are now rare as hens teeth. It has an Am/fm stereo cassette made by blue point, only it is in German for some reason. It has the European antenna up there on the roof. It has its gay little sounding European horn. It has a clock in the dash. The clock is actually the best thing on this whole car because it has always kept way accurate time. And it makes ticking sounds when the second hand sweeps around. It is made by some clock company I never heard of. Quartz. I heard of Quazar, but never Quartz before.

Here is a picture of the car in front of our house back when we lived in Ohio. It has really cool gloss black paint that is real shiny. In fact if you look at the side real close you can see me taking the picture. I love this paint job because you never need a mirror. If you think you hair is messed up you just look at the car to check it out. It is wearing it’s original Campi wheels in this shot. They are 8” fronts and 10” rears. Just ask some of the other Pantera guys here and they will tell you that those are the best original Campi wheels you can get. I have heard some say they paid almost a grand for a set of these and that is just the wheels. Those are the original P7 Pirellis on there. They still have lots of tread on them, but then again, they are 37 or so years old so they maybe are not real safe at super high speeds. You may want to consider getting new ones some day. But since the car only has about 30K or4iginal miles, that is your call. It has a Hall Delta wing on the back. At first I was going to take it off, but it kind of grew on me. Especially when little kids see it. Man the look on their faces and their bulging eyes. They get real excited seeing it. So I left the wing on because I love little kids when they see something that gets them excited.

HERE IS A VIDEO. LETS GO FOR A RIDE!!!

http://www.streetfire.net/vide...my-pantera_45500.htm

This is Bill Gaino standing next to my ride so you can get a perspective of the size of the car. Bill offered to restore my car for me and he was going to document it and everything. But it would be just my luck he would finish the car and I still wouldn’t be able to drive it because it would be at home and I would be at work Which would drive me even more crazy than what I already am. If you do buy this car, you might want Bill to go over it for you. I don’t know if he will give you as good a deal as what he quoted me, but it never hurts to ask.

Here is that wonderful clock I was telling you about. Mike Drew says he doesn’t think it is original. Probably thinks that because it works the best of anything on the car. I never had to fix it or even change the time except for daylight savings twice a year. I love that old clock. Those are my daughters knees under that. She is 5”11” so shorter women wives and girlfriends fit just fine.

Here is a more close up picture of my favorite part of the car. That Quartz sure do make some fine clocks.

Now they tell me the dash is made of mouse hair. Maybe but it sure holds up well. Not a crack or blemish of any kind anywhere. Which is great since skinning a mouse is right hard to do. I bet you would have to skin a couple hundred of the little buggers to get enough material to make a dash like this. This is just one reason these hand made Italian cars costs so friggin much.

Here is a picture of me driving the car. No matter what kind of sour, evil mood I am in when I start the car, within five minutes I always look like this. I think it must be fumes or something that always make me look like I am on ecstasy or something. Yes my head rubs the headline, but I am 6’3” tall and weigh 275. So if I fit in it, almost anyone can. Damn, looking at this picture makes me realize I am going to miss this car as much as one misses air when they are 30” underwater. But dang it, I already miss it anyway because it is 500 miles away and I only look at it 2 or three times a year when I am home on vacation. Sigh. Sadness. Oh well, you don’t care, back to the car.

Here are some the nick nacs and special stuff you have to haul off with the car. Besides these there are Pantera books, magazines, trophies, owners manual, dealer recall bulletins, repair manuals, wiring diagrams, original owners Italian leather key fob, spare set of key blanks, original spare, original tool kit, car cover, little model cars and such too. Like the spare parts either sell them, throw them away, or keep them around to enjoy. Better bring a pick-up to haul all this stuff along because it won’t all fit in the car no matter how well you pack it.

Here is a picture of my son taken before he went to his senior prom. Yep I let him drive the car that night. He still tells his friends his prom date was black and weighed 3000 pounds! Live the fantasy and let your son drive this cool car to his high school prom and you too can have a son who never talks to you once he is out on his own. J

Below is a blurb I wrote about the car several years ago. I think now that the paint isn’t original factory but was done when it was “restored” back in the 90s by the second owner. The paint is just too good to have come from any factory. At least it was until the lead underneath work hardened and cracked. I still love the color and shininess of it though and if I was ever to get it repainted I would have it exactly like the paint it has only no lead body filler.
THPNMS04903
This car is a 1973 DeTomaso Pantera GTS. Although it was made in the Ford era of Pantera construction it was constructed specifically for the European market. The GTS model was meant as a performance and appearance upgrade to the standard Pantera of the time. As such it was a more expensive and desirable car for the time. It is not known for certain just how many Euro spec GTS were made in this time frame, but I would speculate it would be at most a few hundred. These cars reputations in Europe lead the dealers in America to request Ford also import this specific model. However due to the bumper requirements, and the fact that these vehicles would require additional crash testing and emission modifications, Ford decided to make an American spec GTS that was a cosmetic only upgrade. There were one hundred of these imported to the United States.

The upgrades on the European GTS include the following. Large diameter front and rear Girling disc brakes, larger diameter rear sway bar, an 351 Cleveland engine rated at 350 HP which had 11.9 compression ratio closed chamber heads, a Holley 650 CFM 4777-4 carburetor specifically for this car, an aluminum intake manifold, again specific to this car, lower restriction GTS exhaust system, 8 inch front wheels and 10 inch rear. They also had a roof antenna as well as fiberglass fender flares and GTS decals on the door sill as well as GTS badges on the rear deck and dashboard. The single pod dashboards were also unique to the Euro-GTS both in shape and finish. The vents for this dash are also unique to the euro-GTS. The euro-GTS also had a different 4th gear ratio than all the other Panteras. It was at .9 instead of .8. This made for a slightly closer ratio in the upper speeds. Magazine articles at the time put the performance of this vehicle at a top speed of 159 MPH, but a mid twelve second quarter mile. These cars also came with a two toned paint scheme. The front hood and rear deck were painted black as well as the lower half of the car all around. All trim was also black instead of chrome. They had the half bumpers also. They had unique tail light lenses as well. They also came with a clock mounted in the dash as well as seats that had a cloth insert for keeping ones rear end firmly planted in spirited driving. These were the Ford era GTS and this model continued after Ford pulled out and evolved somewhat from there.

Now for what makes 4903 unique amongst the much rarified euro-spec GTS. Firstly it was painted black. Not just the bottom but the entire car. Black was not a color option for American imported Panteras. And to my knowledge this may be the only Pantera ever painted entirely black, from the factory. Secondly it came with gold anodized Campignelieo wheels, which again, to my knowledge was not put on any other production car. This may have been to emulate the group four race cars that had Gold anodized wheels although these wheels were more of the street car design. The rear wheels are also very unusual as they have a very deep offset for ten inch wheels. These seem to mount the tire very deep in the rear wheel well. These wheels came with Pirelli P7 rally spec tires. Another unique item on this particular car is the auxiliary driving lights. These look very much like the lights that were installed on the Pantera that ran in the 1972 Lemans and I suspect they were installed as to customer order from the factory. This car also has the very first vents cut into the hood. Later post Ford GTS had a grill put in the same location for additional cooling. However this may be the first vehicle in which DeTomaso experimented with venting the hood. The dash clock is unique in this car as well, being it is a rectangular shape and a quartz movement, and it is wound by the battery and uses a main spring. This has proven to be the most accurate clock I have ever witnessed in any vehicle. This particular car came with a factory equipped stereo. It is a Blaunkampt AM/FM Cassette player. For 1973 this was the best stereo money could buy.
All gauges in this car are labeled in Italian. Of course the speedometer is in kilometers as well as the odometer. The carpet is gray, the headliner is cream. This car also has the leather tool kit as well as the euro-spec airless spare.
The side reflectors on this car were added at a later date for import purposes. This car was ordered by an Italian originally who owned the car for one year. It was purchased from him by a man named Yoder from New York who had the car imported. He owned the car for twenty years and he sold it to a man from Ohio and I bought the car from him ten years ago.

The car appears to have been restored sometime in the 1990s. At that time several modifications were made. The intake manifold was changed to an Edlebrock Performer, the distributor was changed to a Mallory Unilite, the exhaust was changed to a Hall big bore, headers and exhaust, a Hall Delta wing was added to the exterior. The car also appears to have been repainted a high gloss black at that time. A Previous owner also procured Hall Ultra wheels for this vehicle.

I could go on and on, because I have had the car for over ten years now and it has been part of my family. But I will close for now with the hope that there is someone out there who will love this car at least as much as I did.


I am asking $40,000 for the car and all the stuff that goes with it. If the car was in perfect condition I would be asking $60,000 or more, but I figure 20K can fix a few of the shortcomings anyway. Please feel free to contact me by either PM or email me at detomaso72@yahoo.com.

More pictures

From the back

other side

a little of topic but there is a gts for sale on the vancouver craigslist for sale $12,000.00
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.../cto/1793815014.html
I think its a little high.

WoW !

Is there a front to that Pantera ?

What a great job of promoting the sale of a car !

I think its a little high.[/QUOTE]

High? I thought Vancover was at sea level. Learn something everyday.

quote:

Originally posted by Pantera 4134:
WoW !

Is there a front to that Pantera ?

What a great job of promoting the sale of a car !

Yeah I have some more pictures but they are too big to upload on the forum. I asked Dr. Melton to put the add on his sight too so maybe he will have better luck uploading the pictures.
Thanks for looking at my add. If you have any questions, I will be here.

I have gotten response about lack of recent pictures. Since I am 500 miles away from the car, never get to see it, that is hard to do, So my Daughter agreed to make some pictures for me and she emailed them to me.
I will upload them here as I make them small enough to fit on the site.

Here is a picture of the engine with the trunk in place. It shows that the stuff lining the trunk is not in real good shape.

HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE REST OF THE TRUNK. tHAT IS THE AIRLESS SPARE AND IT IS ORIGINAL EUROPEON IN THAT THE TIRE MAKE IS DIFFERENT FROM THE aMERICAN SPARES. yOU PROBABLY DON'T CARE, BUT HERE IS A PICTURE ANYWAY.

Damn cap locks. Why do they put that thing so close to the shift key anyway? Talk about faulty design, Make Pinto exploding gas tanks seem minor by comparison.
Next is the front trunk. It isn't very big, but it can hold some stuff, like a brief case and duffle bags and such. It has all the original tag thingies that tell you what the serial number is and what timing and oil to use.

Here is the same trunk as taken from the other side of the car.
I got lots more pictures and I will post them as I resize them. I even got pictures of the rust issue and I will upload them too so anyone who is interested will see exactly what they would be getting themselves into with this car. I am hiding nothing.

More interior shots

left dash

middle

speedo-odometer tach

console guages

seats

There are more but that is all I have time to do right now. Stay tuned for the rust pics and leasons on why rust in a Pantera is the worse than in any other car that has ever existed.

Ok, here is the really bad part about my car. THE RUST!! It has been hard for me to look at these detailed pictures, let alone post them, but I want potential buyers to know the ugly truth. So here goes.
Here is a shot taken through the Campis. Look closely and you can see rust specks.

Here is one under the car looking up at the floor pans where the seats are bolted. Yep, rust specks.

Front wheel well rust.

Under the car kinda near the door jamb.

Other side front wheel well rust.

More rust under the car

Even more rust under the car.

If you are getting nauseated, better stop lokking now.

The worst rust! Just look at that exaust pipe. Rusted through, probably leaks carbon monoxide.

Rear subframe.

Other side.

front subframe

other side front subframe

rear valance.

Front grill.

Now I know all you Pantera owners hate me cause I let my car get into this sad state. I feel a great deal of shame. But anyone who is considering this car has a right to know so I showed the ugly underside of my old rust bucket. I would part out the car but since it is 500 miles away I can't very well do that. If I don't get any offers, I guess I will just sell it for scrap metal.
Thanks for listening.

Sorry to hear about the developments DeTom. I wish you all the best. I hope you got to enjoy the hell out of that car!!

What the heck? Photos don't seem to bad to me. Lots of time there is just surface rust where paint came off, and a wire brush may show solid metal just under. But then again, could be rusted through too. What is even worse is when it looks good on the surface but someone did bondo over the rust.

In Denmark this would be a worthwhile project for anybody that can weld themselves. Yes, there's much, but nowhere you can put an arm through and have to fabricate a lot of fancy angles. Don't scrap it, just let the price reflect the amount of work needed. And a happy welder will get a Pantera cheap...

Does 200,I thought it was just me.Having restored many a British car, I know rust when I see it,and I dont see it! Looks like somebody jacked the crap out of the front subframe though.DeTom, is bondo hiding something here?

Have seen cars worse than that!

Of course - if you cant do bodywork or weld - it can be expensive.
I can see lot of damage to the undercarrige, but the rust issues is not that bad...

My car was worse....

http://www.detomaso-norge.com/

quote:

Originally posted by DOES 200:
What the heck? Photos don't seem to bad to me. Lots of time there is just surface rust where paint came off, and a wire brush may show solid metal just under. But then again, could be rusted through too. What is even worse is when it looks good on the surface but someone did bondo over the rust.

There ain't no bondo, just that lead filler crap. I agree if this was an old Mustang or chebby of some kind the rust would be acceptable. But on a Pantera it is a fatal flaw.

quote:

Originally posted by No Quarter:
In Denmark this would be a worthwhile project for anybody that can weld themselves. Yes, there's much, but nowhere you can put an arm through and have to fabricate a lot of fancy angles. Don't scrap it, just let the price reflect the amount of work needed. And a happy welder will get a Pantera cheap...

I am sorry Mr. No quarter, but I don't have enough money to pay someone to take my car. Wish I did, but if I did, I would just get it fixed myself.

quote:

Originally posted by firstpantera:
Does 200,I thought it was just me.Having restored many a British car, I know rust when I see it,and I dont see it! Looks like somebody jacked the crap out of the front subframe though.DeTom, is bondo hiding something here?

Dear Mr. firstpantera, I agree I have had sevral english cars myself. And once again, it is not the same thing. You can have rust on other cars so bad you can watch the road go by through the floor boards. But surface rust on a Pantera makes the car a total loss. What is ok for other cars, is unacceptable for Panteras.

quote:

Originally posted by Odin:
Have seen cars worse than that!

Of course - if you cant do bodywork or weld - it can be expensive.
I can see lot of damage to the undercarrige, but the rust issues is not that bad...

My car was worse....

Dear Mr. Oden, I have nothing but admiration for those who posses the skills and time and money to restore basket case Panteras such as mine. I wish I could find such a person to bestow my car upon. I had one person who seemed interested, but I haven't heard from him in several weeks now. He had some experience in restoration. I do hope he does get back in touch with me. I would love to know my car went to a good home.

http://www.detomaso-norge.com/

DeTom,

It’s always difficult to tell from pictures but from my experience, that car does not look like it has expired. If you can stick an ice pick through a large portion of the body panels and more importantly structural sections this may be the case but it doesn’t appear such from the pictures.

quote:

There ain't no bondo, just that lead filler crap. I agree if this was an old Mustang or chebby of some kind the rust would be acceptable. But on a Pantera it is a fatal flaw.

quote:

….And once again, it is not the same thing. You can have rust on other cars so bad you can watch the road go by through the floor boards. But surface rust on a Pantera makes the car a total loss. What is ok for other cars, is unacceptable for Panteras.

Who is telling you that? True, for some people, any degree of repair is too much but for others, it’s an opportunity. All kinds of unit-body cars from the late 60’s are restored from greater depths of tin-worm damage. IMO, there’s no way that car should be scrapped and anyone who is telling you that your car is so far gone that it's not salvageable is spreading nonsense.

quote:

I am asking $40,000 for the car and all the stuff that goes with it. If the car was in perfect condition I would be asking $60,000 or more, but I figure 20K can fix a few of the shortcomings anyway.

Having said this, if your car is structurally affected in some of the more problematic areas, your asking price is overly optimistic, on both end of the spectrum IMO.

I suspect there would be many buyers at $15-20k level and trading in that range would make it highly likely your car would be restored by ssome capable individual. Could someone make money at it? Depends on their skill and how they value there time but there are plenty of people with the skill and desire to have a Pantera at which having one at this price range, and over time, their aspirations can become a reality.

Could you get that much from parting it out? Maybe, but if you had the time to do that you would probably have other options as well. Is $15-20k better than scrap value? -Most certainly.

DeTom, I suspect you like many others are struggling due to the current economic conditions in the country. It can get a person down but don't let it break your spirit. I definitely detect a note of that in your more recent posts. -There will be a new day. If a compromised price such as I have suggested would truly make a difference in your life for you and your family now, then you may need to swallow hard and sell. Most of us have been or will be in this position at some time in our lives. Sometimes a man just needs to do what he needs to do. If that kind of cash won’t change your life and you truly enjoy your car, like suggested in your posts of years gone by, selling it won’t make you feel better. If so, keep it until things improve.

Just my 2 cents Tom. All the best to you.
Kelly

Kelly, you are right. 20 grand wouldn't be near enough to put a dent in the pickle I find myself in. I have one other guy who may still be interested, but if I haven't heard back from anyone for another moth or so I am just going to keep it and drive it like a daily driver. Well at least untill someone steals it or totals it by driving into me while rubbernecking.
I love that car. It is the best car I have ever had, even if it is rusty. I hearby declare that I don't care what you other Pantera owners think, I have a rust bucket and I love it. So wag your fingers at me me a tsk, tsk me all you want. I can't hear you over the Clevland symphony orchestra! My car is what it is and it is who I am. Yeah my car has senn better days, but then again, so have I.

DeTom,

Just spray the car with a rustproofing agent (some good options discussed in another thread) and drive her until one of you drops. These days rust can be pretty effectively slowed down, if not halted and so it won't get too much worse unless you encounter snow and salt which I'm guessing is unlikely in TN. At least you can enjoy the ride!

Mark

DeTom,
Thats the spirit, keep it and drive it. You will find yourself in a better position some day, and when you do, you will be glad you kept the car. From what I can see, the rust issues are not that bad. Us Pantera folk tend to be pretty hardnosed about the "R" word. I've seen old mopars with holes in the doors big enough to throw a cat through, yet the owners loved them like they were show room fresh.

quote:

I love that car. It is the best car I have ever had, even if it is rusty. I hearby declare that I don't care what you other Pantera owners think, I have a rust bucket and I love it. So wag your fingers at me me a tsk, tsk me all you want. I can't hear you over the Clevland symphony orchestra! My car is what it is and it is who I am. Yeah my car has seen better days, but then again, so have I.

That's what I'm talkin about!

K

quote:

Just spray the car with a rustproofing agent (some good options discussed in another thread) and drive her until one of you drops.

DeTom,

Your car really doesn't look that bad. Treat the affected areas to stop/slow any future progression of the tin worm and drive the hell out of it and continue enjoying it!

For simplicity sake, use some Eastwood Internal Frame Coating to treat the inside of your frame rails, suspension horse shoes (uprights?), etc. Then use the it, or the Jasco Metal Prep, on all exterior surfaces where rust is visible to stop it in it's tracks.
http://pantera.infopop.cc/eve/...=606101266#606101266

Cheers!
Garth

Thanks for the advice guys. I don't have the car with me and that is a big part of the problem. If I had it to drive around once in awhile I would be able to put things in better perspective. I don't want to sell the car, never did, but I could sure use about 40K right now. Of course if I could just sell my house none of that would be an issue.
Do any of you guys want to buy a beutifull 4 bed, 3 bath house with panarmic views of the appalacihian mountains? I would let you have it for 200K. It apparaised at 236K. I won't through in my car for thyat price though. But I would through in a brand new riding lawn mower.

PRICE REDUCED! GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE!!!
Price is now $39,000!!! Lost my job today, so make an offer.

Price reduced again. New price is now just $38,000 US. I will also accept euros or convertible bearerbonds or Gold. Will consider trade for matured annnuity or 30 year treasuries.

Good luck Andy, I told you if you would wait you would get a car you wanted. Wish me luck too.

Do I hear a bid of $37,000? $37,000?? 37 going once...going twice...going three times...???
NOT SOLD IT, NOT SOLD IT FOR $37,000!!!!!!!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by DeTom:
Do I hear a bid of $37,000? $37,000?? 37 going once...going twice...going three times...???
NOT SOLD IT, NOT SOLD IT FOR $37,000!!!!!!!!!!!

DeTom could you email me the photo's you have I maybe interested. I could only view the video, unsure as to why I cant see the pics loaded on the site.
Thanks Anton C.
antongcollins@yahoo.com

DeTom could you email me the photo's you have I maybe interested. I could only view the video, unsure as to why I cant see the pics loaded on the site.
Thanks Anton C.
antongcollins@yahoo.com[/QUOTE]

Anton. let me know if you need more photos than what I sent you last night. In the meantime you can see the missing photos here if you log on before viewing.

We have all heard about the Christmas in July sale, well here is something you ain't never heard before, IT'S DETOM'S CHRISTMAS IN DECEMBER BIG BLOW OUT SALE!!!!! All Pantera GTS marked down $1000 dollars!! You heard right folks, one-thousand dollars off. Drive away for just $36,000!
Looking for last minute gift ideas?? Well look no further. Makes an excelent stocking stuffer for any Pantera enthusiast on your gift list. Imagine your loved ones eyes when they open this baby up for Christmas!!! Fits neatly under you decorated Christmas Sequia tree. Act now before it is all gone!!!
Merry Christmas Folks!

This car is still for sale. There has been more interest shown in the last two weeks than the previous six months. I am beginning to think the Pantera market is in the recovery process.

SOLD!