The car was designed by American designer Tom Tjaarda and replaced the De Tomaso Mangusta. Unlike the Mangusta, which employed a steel backbone chassis, the Pantera was a steel monocoque design, the first instance of De Tomaso using this construction technique. The Pantera logo included a version of Argentina's flag turned on its side with a T-shaped symbol that was the brand used by De Tomaso's Argentinean cattle ranching ancestors. The car made its public debut in Modena in March 1970 and was presented at the 1970 New York Motor Show a few weeks later. Approximately a year after that production Pantera's started finding their way into the hands of customers and production had already been ramped up to a remarkable (by the standards of Modena-built exotica) 3 per day.Several modifications were made for the 1972 model year Pantera's. A new 4 Bolt Main Cleveland Engine, also 351 in3, was used with lower compression ratio (from 11:1 to 8.6:1, chiefly to meet US emissions standards and run on lower octane standard fuel) but with more aggressive camshaft timing (in an effort to reclaim some of the power lost through the reduction in compression). Many other engine changes were made, including the use of a factory exhaust header.This '72 Detomaso Pantera is an amazing car that has recently benefited from new paint, new polished Campagnolo wheels and a new Ansa exhaust system. The gentleman we purchased this car from bought it from its original owner. He then had the car stripped and professionally painted. It was blocked after primer, base coated and then cleared. The entire car was then wet sanded and buffed to a glass like finish. This is an extremely solid car with no signs of rust or repair that we have found. The paint is nearly perfect with no notable imperfections. The "Pantera" on the lower body is not a sticker like most are. It is paint and looks fantastic. The front and rear chrome bumpers are all in great condition with on damage or pitting showing to any of them. There has been a rare dealer installed luggage rack installed that looks great. Inside, the interior is all original and in great condition. It appears to have never had any restoration done inside and shows only very minimal wear. The carpets do show some very minor fading but no rips or tears. The seats, dash and center console all look great as well as the door panels and headliner. Gauges are all in good working order as well as the lights, blinkers, wipers and horn. In the rear, the 351 Cleveland V8 runs great and starts with a turn of the key. The motor has recently been through a rebuild where it was balanced and blueprinted. During the rebuild a set of ceramic coated headers installed going back to a dual Ansa exhaust system which sounds great. There has been a new aluminum radiator installed which ensures the temperature stays down on hot summer days. The front trunk has been carpeted as well as the rear package tray. The brakes are all new as well as the master cylinder. The car comes with the original space saver spare as well as a new Optima battery that has been installed. All of the polished Campagnolo wheels are in great condition and are wrapped with new Michelin XGT Z radials. The current mileage shows 50,439 and is said to be original for the car. VIN number is THPNMB02295.