Who has seen the beautiful 1973 De Tomaso Pantera L that’s on display at The Marconi? The paint job is phenomenal!
The Pantera was a result of Italian engineering and American muscle. Can you take a guess at what the ‘L’ means? If you guessed luxury, you’d be right. Well, technically, lusso, which is the Italian word for luxury.
It’s got a Cobra 427 engine with an (of course) 5-speed manual transmission. It has a top speed of approximately 159mph and can get from 0 – 60 in 5.5 seconds.
Ford held the distribution of the Pantera but dropped out in 1975 due to poor sales. Founder Dick Marconi likes to tell people that this car has so much power that it can pop a wheelie in reverse.
Dick has the first-hand experience of the De Tomaso’s power. He blew the transaxle off Jamboree Road almost immediately after purchasing.
As the story goes: “When I bought this car, the guy warned me about its power and the importance of being in 3rd gear & on a straight away before opening it up. I let the guy know I knew how to drive and took it down Jamboree for some exercise. I popped it into 2nd and within seconds I spun out and a BOOM erupted. I had busted the transaxle and it cost me more to repair it than what I had bought the car for, lesson learned.”
This is only one of the many exotic, rare, and beautiful cars housed at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin. Plan your visit, today! Your donation to tour the facilities helps us help children in need.
The Marconi Automotive Museum is a class 501 ©(3) nonprofit located in the heart of Orange County. A portion of the net proceeds from booked events goes to various at-risk children charities throughout Southern California. We are open to the public for museum visitors Monday through Friday 9:00am – 4:30pm, double check ourevent calendar before visiting.
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