The subhead on that original Road & Track road test may have said it all: “Exciting–but not a finished product.” Noted issues included non-functioning air conditioning, a balky shifter, an overheating engine, electrical problems, an off-center steering wheel, locking-up rear brakes, a poor seating position, and subpar interior fit and finish. Oh, and orange peel in the paint.
The De …
The part in this article about the Pantera being compared to American cars instead of their true counterparts was a common thing for the "Consumer Reports" type magazines in the 70s. I once read a comparison of a Corvette to a Honda 4 door sedan during that time. They bashed the Corvette for lack of luggage space, lack of seats and poor fuel milage. Obviously the writer was not understanding the purpose of each car or the difference between buyers of each. Possibly they scored more points with their editor by overwhelming negative reviews, as I suspect was done to the Pantera.
For what it's worth I have a gen-you-wine Ford dealer shop manual...
Don't everybody holler at once...
My brother tells a great story of riding his bicycle at age 12 to our local Lincoln-Mercury dealer. He found an unlocked Pantera on the lot and was surprised to discover that he could not comfortably fit in the driver's seat! He is not a large person today and was smaller in 1972. I remember seeing rust on untitled Panteras on that same dealer's lot.
Thanks to Mike Drew for his hard-earned expertise and tireless support of the Pantera community. His passion and encouragement/coaching to those of us who work on our Panteras is a huge asset to our hobby.
Off center steering wheel?
Look down at a parking lot from a balcony. I'd say better than 80% of vehicles have a steering wheel that isn't centered to the drivers seat.
Back in the mid 70's I had a small Lotus dealer (friend) locally in a northern NJ town. I was always able to look at the cars in his service area. One of these showed up for service with a for-sale sign on it. I remember the price being around $1500. It was totally beat up, abused and rusty!!! I asked him about the Pantera. He rolled his eyes, said it was junk and said to stay away from any thoughts of buying one. My, my... how prices and attitudes have changed in 50+ years! My negative thoughts about one still stay with me today regardless of the condition of a restored unit!!
"If you want a senstive Italian, marry one" -My dad
I didn't listen. I love Italian bikes.
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