[DeTomaso] Bang & Olufsen factory Gr3 Pantera for sale

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/9/09 8 34 38, boyd411 at gmail.com writes:


> Besides the roll cage and clearly upgraded master cylinder arrangement 
> The only visual clue to this being a race car is the  paint and the recaro 
> style seats and 5 or 6 point harness. I know a significant race history adds 
> substantially o the value of a car but what differentiates a GR3 from a 
> "normal Pantera. It is unusual to me to see such a stock interior and 
> instrumentation.  Is it something to do with the homologation regulations? What 
> unseen mechanical differences were there to constitute A Gr 3? What engine 
> modifications did it have and what does th Gr # conotate?
> 
Factory records are crucial in establishing a Gr3's provenance, because so 
many standard Panteras have been upgraded to, or even past original Gr3 
specs.

Here's part of the text that I wrote back in 2000 when I featured Dale 
Eriksen's Gr3 Pantera in Profiles (the only known Gr3 Pantera running in the USA 
at the moment).

=====

The De Tomaso factory built a handful of full-race Panteras to compete in 
FIA Group 4, featuring a host of chassis and suspension modifications.   The 
characteristics of these cars have been fairly well documented in the past, 
including the Fall 1996 Profiles.   Due to their limited numbers, finding an 
original Group 4 car for sale is next to impossible, and those cars are 
fantastically expensive when they do trade hands, which isn’t often.   

What many people fail to realize is that De Tomaso also built less-radical 
race cars to compete in FIA Group 3, either for road-racing or on- and 
off-road rallying.   Comparatively little is known about these cars, as they 
received considerably less publicity, but after doing some research, Dale 
decided that a Group 3 Pantera would fit his needs perfectly.

While a Group 4 Pantera is a dedicated, purpose-built race car that used 
Pantera architecture but a unique chassis and suspension, the FIA Group 3 
rules were far more restrictive, as the FIA intended for this class to consist 
solely of essentially stock, unmodified production sports cars.   Initially, 
modifications from standard, production-car specification were few, mostly 
relating to pure safety issues, but after a few years, as the series evolved, 
the list of allowable modifications grew for all cars competing in Group 3.

Unlike the Group 4 Panteras which were built utilizing special components, 
all Group 3 Panteras were constructed from ordinary, production-line 
European Panteras.   As they were all built to individual customer order, it’s 
difficult to generalize about them.   Furthermore, the nature of bespoke De 
Tomaso automobiles makes it even more difficult to differentiate between 
different models, since it was possible for any European customer to order each of 
the components used to create a Gr3 Pantera directly from the factory, and 
modify a standard car to that specification after the fact and then race it.  
 

It was also possible to order a Euro GTS and then have it built with all 
the Gr3 components at the factory.   So there is a very fine line between a 
factory-built Gr3 race car, a Euro GTS fitted with Gr3 components, and a race 
car converted to Gr3 specs by a private party.   While the De Tomaso factory 
public relations personnel are extremely helpful, and are capable of 
answering a query to determine if a specific car was constructed as a Gr3, at this 
time they don’t have a complete list of all Gr3 cars made, but they have 
committed to researching the information for the next edition of the De Tomaso 
registry.

The process of building a Gr3 Pantera started in the engine room.   De 
Tomaso certified the Gr3 Pantera with either a standard cast-iron intake 
manifold and Motorcraft carburetor, or an optional aluminum Ford manifold with a 
Holley R-4777 650 cfm manual-secondary carburetor.   The stock oil pan was 
replaced with a large (8 liter on early cars, 10 liter on later cars) pan with 
an integral windage tray and an optional removable chassis crossmember.

Standard exhaust manifolds, and later European GTS exhaust headers were 
fitted (consisting of 4-into-2-into-1 headers with a 2 1/2 inch collector), and 
the 2 1/2 inch tailpipes fed into either low-restriction ANSA GTS mufflers, 
or the so-called Gr3 mufflers (GTS-style muffler cans with no internals, 
and hence no sound-reduction capabilities.)  Finally, the entire muffler 
assemblies could be deleted and replaced by simple straight exhaust pipes.   One 
would hope the engines were thoroughly checked over and received careful 
blueprinting and hand-assembly at the factory, but there is no evidence the De 
Tomaso engine-builders weren’t simply affixing these bolt-on parts to 
otherwise-standard engines.

The radiator was unmodified, although optional 8-bladed fans replaced the 
standard units.
The chassis received only subtle tweaks initially.   The same Ariston 
adjustable shocks fitted to conventional Panteras were standard on the Gr3 
version, but there were two levels of Koni shock upgrades available.   The first 
featured internal rebound adjustment only, while the top-of-the-line shocks 
had a threaded aluminum body with ride-height adjustment, and external 
controls for compression and rebound adjustment, with over 100 different 
combinations available.   The top-of-the-line shock package cost an additional $1,000 
back in 1973, quite a serious investment when you consider you could buy an 
entire street Pantera for under $10,000!

The Gr3 Panteras were equipped with the same springs as the European GTS, 
with only one optional spacer listed (presumably for rally cars.)   The 
steering rack was repositioned using spacers to alleviate bump-steer concerns, 
but the control arms and sway bars were the same as those fitted on production 
Panteras.

The brakes consisted of standard Pantera calipers squeezing ventilated 
discs measuring 282mm in diameter and 20mm thick, and actuated by a standard 
master cylinder; this was a common option for Euro GTS Panteras as well.   
Standard 7- and 8-inch Campagnolo wheels and Michelin radial XWX 185/70 and 
215/70 tires were fitted.

In 1974, the FIA approved further modifications to the suspension.   The 
rear hub carriers and front spindles were replaced by heavier Group 4 units, 
and the brakes were changed by using a larger master cylinder, larger 
cast-iron three-piston front calipers with 288mm x 31.75mm front rotors, and larger 
cast-iron three-piston rear calipers with standard GTS vented rotors and 
stronger axles with heavy-duty wheel studs.   

Although similar in appearance, these were not the same brakes as used on 
the Group 4 Panteras, but this system later became standard issue on the GT5 
and GT5-S.   Small auxiliary rear calipers with their own small pads were 
used for the parking brake.

The stock sway bars were replaced with an adjustable system, 
philosophically similar to, but mechanically different from, the adjustable bars featured 
on the Group 4 Panteras.   The then-common 10-inch Campagnolo Euro GTS wheel 
was allowed for fitment in the rear, and 8-inch wheels were issued for the 
front.   

The interior of the Gr3 Pantera was surprisingly mundane.   Earlier cars 
had the two-pod dashboard, while later cars received either the one-piece 
molded USA L-model dashboard, or the similar-appearing two-piece upholstered 
Euro GTS dashboard; all were fitted with metric gauges and European switchgear. 
  The stock seat belts were retained with a race harness installed for the 
driver only, and the standard Pantera seats were supplanted by one-piece 
racing bucket seats, the same as those in the Group 4 Panteras.

(Interestingly enough, these one-piece racing seats were actually 
constructed from the remains of the prototype Pantera’s radical “picket fence” 
seats.   Those seats consisted of a sheetmetal frame, fitted with yellow foam 
blocks.   Visually striking, but judged by Ford as being too weird for the 
marketplace, they never went into production.   As De Tomaso had already 
produced many of these frames, they simply upholstered them with light padding and 
turned them into race car seats.)   

Heavily padded bolsters, as used in the Group 4 cars, were sometimes fitted 
to the door panels on one or both sides.

On some cars, the ignition switch was later relocated from under the 
dashboard to the middle of the center console, behind the ashtray, and within easy 
reach of the driver while he was belted in.   A fire extinguisher was 
bolted to the floor in front of the passenger seat.

The USA-model steering wheel was standard equipment, but buyers had the 
option of fitting the   three-spoke Euro GTS Momo Prototipo wheel or the 
smaller Group 4 Momo Prototipo wheel instead.   Interestingly, the Gr3 Panteras 
were sold with full heating and air conditioning, electric windows, a radio 
aerial bolted to the roof, and a pair of speakers installed in the center kick 
panels (one in front of the gas pedal, and the other pointing into the 
passenger footwell), but no radio was included.   Air horns were also optional.

The plexiglass rear window and six-point roll cage of the Group 4 Pantera 
were standard issue in the Gr3 cars as well.   Furthermore, the front engine 
cover was modified to allow easy access to the front of the engine without 
requiring the removal of the entire back panel (which would have required 
removal of the roll cage!)

Cosmetically, the Gr3 Panteras slowly changed as the production Panteras 
changed.   Early Gr3 cars carried standard two-piece front and rear 
bumperettes.   After the introduction of the L-model Pantera, some Gr3 cars were 
equipped with early-style front bumperettes incorporating the front turn signals, 
while others had European L-model bumperettes with the turn signals 
residing in the standard L-model pods on the underside of the front fenders.   Turn 
signal lenses were either clear with a colored bulb, or bi-color with an 
amber and a clear section.      

Some cars retained two-piece rear bumperettes while others received the 
European L-model one-piece rear bumper (which was the same as the USA L-model 
bumper, except that instead of being mounted on hydraulic rams, it was 
mounted on solid brackets, considerably closer to the car’s body.)   Both front 
and rear bumpers on Gr3 cars were normally chrome.

There were various driving and fog light packages issued; some cars 
received Carello fog lights, while others received massive lighting arrays for 
nighttime rally racing.   For the first few years, a simple flat blade front 
spoiler with cooling ducts for the front brakes was installed while later cars 
got a miniature air dam (also a common option on the post-1976 European GTS) 
and small, riveted-on GTS flares.

Apparently few of the Gr3 cars received the Euro GTS paint scheme, with a 
blacked-out front hood and rear decklid and blacked-out rocker panels.   The 
Gr3 Pantera shown in the factory brochure and postcards is solid yellow.   
In most cases, the European GTS rocker panel decal (which said “De Tomaso” 
in large letters, then had the words “Pantera” in smaller script, above the 
word “GTS”) was used, but modified to delete the mention of “GTS.”

As with the Group 4 cars, rubber tie-downs were used to secure the front 
hood and rear decklid, although unlike the Group 4, the sheetmetal was 
standard steel instead of aluminum.   An external battery cut-off switch without a 
removable key was fitted to the right front fender; the same switch was 
mounted on the the Group 4 cars.

The documentation on racing Panteras is sketchy at best; it’s difficult to 
say exactly how many were built.   At least one owner claims that his Gr3 is 
one of only 10 cars produced by the factory, but the De Tomaso Registrary 
now lists at least 13 claimed Gr3 cars (although it’s possible that some of 
those were converted from regular production Panteras.)

Nevertheless, the number is undeniably small, so Dale had his work cut out 
for him, and it took several years of searching before he unveiled a Gr3 car 
in the USA, and one that was for sale, no less!

----

The De Tomaso racing book lists 34 different factory Gr3 cars including 
Dale's (not counting standard cars that were later converted to Gr3 spec, in 
some cases by the factory), but there were undoubtedly more than that 
made--maybe more than 50?

Mike