[DeTomaso] The continuing saga of...tasteful engines

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/20/12 11 41 19, charlesmccall at gmail.com writes:


> (nitpicking) it was actually a Maserati V6 he put in the Pantera. But it 
> was only one.
> 
>>>Wrongo!   They built three!

The one that you and I actually saw was a true mongrel; it was a Maserati 
Merak chassis/engine/drivetrain with a Pantera body laid atop it.   It was 
equipped with seating for three (!) and kicked around in the factory for years 
before being sold to Belgium a few years ago.

But prior to that, they experimented with Ford V6-power.   The Pantera 290 
had a 3-liter English Capri engine, along with a different (cut-down) 
decklid and a hood with five front louvers.   Some of those features were also 
used on other one-off Panteras built during the Ford era.   Here's a photo of 
the Pantera 290:

http://www.carstyling.ru/resources/studio/large/72DeTomaso_Pantera_290_(Ghia
)_01.jpg

Somewhere I have photos of the Pantera 270, which was very similar, but 
powered by a 2.7-liter German Ford Taunus V-6.

Both cars had ZF gearboxes and were basically the same as production 
Panteras in other respects.

One of them (I forget which one) eventually was purchased by Phil 
Stebbings, the founder of the UK De Tomaso club.   He ditched the V6 and installed a 
Weber-inducted 351C, GT5 flares/wing and GT5 Campagnolo wheels.   It wore 
the numberplate 500 FAB, and he drove it for years before selling it on.   It 
still exists in the UK.

I don't know where the other one wound up.   I seriously doubt it still has 
a V6 though!
> 
> >Engines that DeTomaso actually built include a bunch of V-12's that were 
> destined for Deauvilles before the 351C won over. They were all crated up 
> and sitting in the factory several years ago. A real, honest DeTomaso V-12 
> for the Pantera - that would be cool!
> 
>>>Steve Wilkinson bought one of them, and has a Deauville stuffed away 
somewhere, and plans on finishing it off the way De Tomaso originally 
intended....

Mike