Pantera
SIMPLE, SOLID, FAST
Off to the races. The old International (early version of an SUV) pulls the trailer and Pantera up the hill next to our old house on Kent Road in Hillsdale, New Jersey. We won the SCCA AP Championship that year, 1974. Notice the 15" wide rear tires are wider than the trailer or bodywork. (This photo was taken with an old Kodak Instamatic 110, resulting in the high grain and poor color reproduction).
For years my father worked on a ~1965 Red Pontiac Firebird 400 (hood scoops and all) improving performance with each modification. He eventually made it into a classic pavement pounder. Although he tried, it was never SCCA race suitable and stayed on the road and eventually was stolen from a Bamburger's Shopping Mall (Route 17 and 4 in New Jersey) parking lot.
For years my Dad loved and "collected" Jaguars, going way back to those such as the 120 from the 1950s. After buying the first Jaguar V12 XKE imported into the USA and trying to SCCA race it with endless problems, my Dad bought a ~1971 de Tomasso Pantera to take to the track. These photos show what it looked like in the early days before racing when it was mostly stock. It was during my High school days and I have many, many great stories with my brothers and Dad surrounding this car.
My father raced it SCCA A Production for many years. He often raced and won against Factory teams such as Jaguar (Bob Tulius) or Porsche, et al. It was originally yellow but has been red, white and black, not to mention primer gray or red many times after race incidents. One time we rebuilt the engine in the middle of Saturday night in gravel hotel parking lot so he could be back on the track the next day, he went on to take second place.
He originally did the tuning and building himself (with me and my two brothers as slave labor). At the peak of its racing career it was highly modified. It produced somewhere around 580 hp. (my guess). He eventually had it tuned by Roger Penski and the performance was outstanding. Modification included explosion proof fuel cells, Edlebrock intake manifold, Chrome Molly-Titanium push rods, 1650cfm carburetor, custom built roll/safety cage, free flow headers, and much more.
Most of the modifications were home made. For example: Dad custom made dual 3 inch echaust (not shown) was made in the garage at our home in Hillsdale with stock pipe and an arc welder. For Lime Rock noise regulations he crafted mufflers (that slipped on the tubes and hung off the rear bumper). Although they were loud, they would pass New Jersey State inspection and he was able to get plates and drive it on the street -- so cool.
The power plant is a Ford 351 Cleveland V8 (pure American muscle) driving a ZF 5 speed transaxle (German precision). The body is all Pinfarina (Italian sex). The interior is highly functional, black vinyl. The driver sits slightly at an angle to accommodate the front wheels.
Simply put, this was a monster engine strapped to wheels, into which one could climb. One could break the 15" WIDE competition slick tires free, in any gear, at any speed.
As a by-stander one could feel the hammering of the pavement as the car approached. As a driver or passenger one could feel the engine (only 6 inches from your back) pounding in your chest. There was a unique thrill to hear the engine wide open under load, like that of a low fly-by of military jet.
