It is an Italian with an American heart, and perhaps this is why it was very successful in the USA, much more than other supercars produced in the same period.
After all, having an engine full of torque, power and cheap to run like the Ford 351 was not a bad advantage, especially when compared to the delicacy and complexity of a Ferrari V12, however time has rewarded the latter precisely for that aura of the exotic and, nonetheless, for the sound it produces.
This car in particular has certainly seen better moments, but not only due to its age, indeed also because it was somewhat “aggressively” stripped of paint, and a long bodywork is required even if the traces of rust appear minimal (not It would surprise us, if the car has always lived in Southern California). Otherwise the car looks complete and original, like the engine which has probably never been removed in 50 years. Find it for sale at $70,000 here in Lancaster, CA.
Classic Virus 
I picked up an early [push button doors] Pantera many years ago, got it from an insurance company sale. It had been the victim of an engine compartment fire resulting from an attempt to hotwire and steal the car. All this occurred long before the internet, but after Pantera sales in the USA had ceased.
As the car was a Vignali-assembled vehicle, I had a difficult time finding some of the damaged parts. Eventually I was able to put it back on the road. We found the ride to be horrendous compared to the other sports & exotic cars I had owned or worked on [Ferrari, Maserati, Porsches, etc.]. My girlfriend at the time named the car “Princess Pea Pantera”, as she said the car could run over a little stone on the highway the size a pea, and transfer that “bump” to the people in the car. While she loved many of the exotic cars she rode in, she despised the Pantera, said the ride was horrendous, and I agreed. Never regretted it’s sale.
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Thank you for this story!
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