American muscle car known as one of the coolest ever was actually Italian
- The De Tomaso Pantera is the coolest American muscle car
- Surprise – it has Italian roots
- It was designed to compete with Ferrari and Corvette in the 1970s
Published on Apr 07, 2025 at 5:45 AM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on May 14, 2025 at 3:36 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
The De Tomaso Pantera is arguably the coolest American muscle car, but it actually has Italian roots.
It was designed to compete with Ferrari and Corvette on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s.
Powered by a Ford 351 Cleveland V8 engine, the Pantera produced 330HP and could reach 0-60MPH in a mere 5.5 seconds.
It’s the best of both worlds, with a perfect fusion of American muscle and Italian style.
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The De Tomaso Pantera
Part of a collaboration between Italian automaker De Tomaso and Ford, led by Vice President Lee Iacocca, it was designed by Tom Tjaarda and built by Ghia, with engineering handled by Giampaolo Dallara.
Its Italian design made it look like a prancing-horse model.
Meanwhile, the Ford V8 engine gave it the power and sound of an American muscle car.
The history of the Italian-American muscle car
The Pantera was sold at an affordable price, coming in at under $10,000.
That was half the cost of comparable Ferraris and Lamborghinis at the time.
Despite its appeal, the car suffered several engineering issues, including overheating and structural weaknesses.
Lincoln-Mercury dealers struggled to support the Pantera, contributing to its poor reputation and limiting its potential success.
The car also had to be modified in 1973 to meet safety and emissions regulations, reducing its performance.
This contributed to Ford losing interest in the Pantera in 1974 after selling over 7,000 units, ending its partnership with De Tomaso.
However, undeterred, De Tomaso continued building the Pantera in limited numbers until 1992, with the car remaining more affordable than other exotic supercars.
Today, the Pantera is now a cult classic, with famous owners like Elvis Presley and appearances in films, making it a cherished part of automotive history.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
