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Posted (edited)

I have several but they are pretty much the same - just curbside kits.  I would pick whatever year and body style your prefer.  This is the Testors one which is pretty1 nice.

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Edited by vamach1
1
Posted

Thanks guys,

It has my interest now.  Curbside only?  I have an assortment of Lamborghini Diablo and Countach kits.  Maybe I could use the rear section of the chassis from one of them.  I also have plenty of NASCAR 351 engines.  Another vision that will become another uncompleted project.....

Posted

Except for the 4X4 stance. ;)

There is nil adjustment for ride height unless you do some major cutting up of the one piece chassis.  Remember back in the day with 15 inch wheels you had a lot of fender clearance.

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Posted (edited)

...  Remember back in the day with 15 inch wheels you had a lot of fender clearance.

Yeah, "back in the day" the Pantera was one of the real cars I specialized in (because the exotic-car shops wouldn't work on them due to their plebeian engines, and the Ford guys couldn't work on them...other than the engines).

This is the correct ride height for an early small-bumper car before they got slightly jacked up for headlight and later bumper height requirements.

Image result for de tomaso pantera

The big-bumper cars sat like this from the dealer (orange car below) but most knowledgeable owners almost immediately had the spring spacers removed and the suspension re-aligned to get them back down where they didn't look like Jeeps...

Image result for de tomaso pantera

And most of the cars with riveted flares sat lower as well, because part of the flare install includes removing the lips of the steel fenders, resulting in more clearance for wider tires.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Posted (edited)

Remarkably, the underside of the black model shown above has the structural elements in more-or-less the right places, though the hat-section stiffeners should be much deeper. Still, it's not a terrible place to start should some enterprising modeler wish to make an accurate representation of the chassis.

This is under the front of the car, facing rear.

Image result for pantera underside

Below is another helpful shot of a bare chassis on a spit...

Related image

The stock engine bay looks like this from above, facing forward. The 4 ears sticking up are the trans mounts, and the engine mounts sit on the triangular areas just forward of the wheel-houses. 

Image result for pantera underside

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Posted (edited)

How many of you fellers ever saw the LAST PRODUCTION generation of the Pantera on the original main body shell and chassis? Styled by the same Marcello Gandini who did Lambo's Countach and Diablo, the chassis is heavily modified with a tubular rear subframe and tubular suspension control arms, rather than the stampings under the original cars. Roughly 40 were built, only 4 as targas.

Related image

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Posted

Certainly looks cool, and exotic... other than the rear quarter-lights, I wouldn't necessarily have clocked it as a Pantera, though. The tail is very F40-ish. Personally, as with the Countach or Esprit, my favorite is the original clean, simple version.

Actually... interesting question: anyone want to suggest a sports/exotic where later iterations of basically the same car (not just re-using the name) were better-looking than the original?

best,

M.

Posted

Pretty in pink.  Looks like stock ride height.

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Definitely stock. They weren't modifying them in those days. 

The car is cool too. :wub:

Posted

Definitely stock. They weren't modifying them in those days. 

The car is cool too. :wub:

I would sure like  to take a test drive,,,,,

I mean ,,,,,,just to make sure

Posted (edited)

I would sure like  to take a test drive,,,,,

I mean ,,,,,,just to make sure

Maybe not today.  Liv was born in 1945.

Edited by vamach1
111

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