With its mid-engine layout, radical wedge design, and Argentinian-Italian heritage, the De Tomaso Pantera was already one of the most exotic cars one could buy in the 1970s. But this factory-customized 1975 De Tomaso Pantera GTS “Prototipo Tony Mantas” is even more out-there.
The one-of-a-kind car was made for Greek entrepreneur Tony Mantas, a personal friend of De Tomaso founder Alejandro de Tomaso. Mantas wasn’t interested in purchasing any old Pantera GTS, so he sent De Tomaso a list of customizations he wanted to be included. Among those requests, Mantas asked for the car to be as low as possible, he requested a white leather dash, and he nixed the rear bumper. Subsequent years saw further custom additions direct from De Tomaso at Mantas’ request — including a roof spoiler, a glass roof, and a wooden interior. The car today is missing most of these later additions, but one amazing bonus included in the sale is access to De Tomaso’s internal file on the car that documents all of the work the company ever did on it. This 1975 De Tomaso Pantera GTS “Prototipo Tony Mantas” goes up for auction at Artcurial in Paris on February 5, where it’s expected to fetch over $220,000.
