Drove a 1972 Pantera today

These were sold at your local Lincoln-Mercury Dealer. The 70's were very strange indeed.

The only person I knew growing up who had one bought it with a windfall from an injury settlement while still in HS. It ended in a police chase and a pretty spectacular crash. He lived to tell the tale - went to PSU with him. I am still a little envious - I thought the market would bring them within reach by the time I was in my damn 40's but the things have really gone up in the last few years. I can't even buy a E36 M3ty one for Z-06 money.

I sat in one when they first came out. It was in the showroom of Dave Dinger (now THAT'S a 70's name if there EVER was one) Ford/Lincoln/Mercury in Braintree, MA.

"How does Dinger DO it? Wait and see . . . at Dave Dinger Ford in Braintree !"

I still remember that insane jingle.

A friend owned a '72 Pantera for a number of years, and he stored it in my garage so I got to look at it every day. Unfortunately he took the keys with him. I never drove it but it was a lot of fun to ride in.

My sports car nirvana would be to have a TR8, a Pantera and a Noble M400 in the garage. Wife keeps telling me to sell some of my TR8s and buy something else I really want. She might be on to something.

stuart in mn wrote: A friend owned a '72 Pantera for a number of years, and he stored it in my garage so I got to look at it every day. Unfortunately he took the keys with him. I never drove it but it was a lot of fun to ride in.

The occasional drive should have been mandatory as a storage fee!

I didn't get to ride in the car, but back in the day I did get to meet noted Pantera owner Linda Carter (Wonder Woman). I spotted the car at a strip mall in San Diego and was drooling over it when she came out of cafe and chatted with me about the car.

She had a Midnight Blue Pantera L that looked as good as she did back in 1978. Ahhh... memories.

Mitchell wrote:

DavidinDurango wrote: Funny, I drove my '73 today. and 200 miles on Saturday (San Juan Skyway) Never driven anything I like better. Go figure. a few Panteras at the owner's convention 2003.

The seventies was a very strange time for color choices.

Eh, I kind of liked it. I still think the 55mph speed limit was responsible for the death of bright colors in the 80s. I know most everything I had was painted either silver or something dark. We used to joke that most German marques' palettes were various colors of paving material.

Aside to DavidinDurango: Yeah, I checked it out in your garage profile. Nice car! SCCA buddy of mine had one in that same light blue as the one in your pic, but I could never con him into letting me drive it.

Woody wrote:

DavidinDurango wrote: The seventies was a very strange time for color choices.

Did you see the pants?

Hahahaha, I had an image of green plaid pants flash before my eyes, next to a butterscotch car... ugh.