Group 4

De Tomaso Pantera Group 4

Race Car

Year Built: 1972

Completely restored / rebuilt

Italian elegance. American power. A legend.
The De Tomaso Pantera is one of the most fascinating sports cars of the early 1970s and is one of the few classic Italian supercars that combines the emotional design and driving experience of a supercar with the robustness of American mass-production technology—a combination that makes it one of the most sought-after classics of its era to this day.

The De Tomaso Pantera Group 4 offered here was delivered in March 1972 as a Tipo 874 – Pantera from the Modena factory to the well-known and successful Italian race car driver Luigi Villoresi. Luigi Villoresi, known as “Gigi,” was a Maserati factory driver in the 1940s and competed in Formula 1 in the 1950s, where he was under contract with Ferrari, among others. Villoresi drove the Pantera intensively for a year before selling it to a Swiss owner in the Solothurn area. After two or three race appearances, the car went to Bern, where it was first registered for road use in Switzerland in 1974. Rescued from a burning shed but already severely damaged, this De Tomaso Pantera was completely rebuilt from late 2007 onward over a period of more than six years to the highest professional standards and at no expense spared, in full compliance with the regulations in effect at the time, as a Group 4 race car. The body, suspension, brakes, chassis, transmission, and all mechanical components were completely restored / rebuilt. The installed Ford 351 NASCAR aluminum racing engine is designed for extreme durability, delivers approximately 580 PS, and provides phenomenal thrust, consistency, and outstanding handling characteristics.

This powerful and stunning De Tomaso Pantera Group 4, with fewer than 10 operating hours since its rebuild, is in perfectly maintained, top-condition, and race-ready (as-new) condition. Numerous original documents from the De Tomaso factory are included, such as the invoice and bill of sale, various correspondence and cover letters, as well as handwritten and internal notes, and even a work order from the De Tomaso factory noting Villoresi’s complaint.

The De Tomaso Pantera Group 4 is one of the most fascinating and, at the same time, rarest GT race cars of the 1970s. Although the production Pantera is well known to many, few realize that De Tomaso developed an uncompromising factory race version to compete against the Porsche 911 Carrera RSR, the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione, and the Chevrolet Corvette C3.

Errors, mistakes and prior sale reserved.