DE 
FR 
Car description
- Unique prototype, made at the request of Constantin Mantas in collaboration with the De Tomaso factory
- Extensive and complete history
- Italian registration papers
- Excellent condition
History of this vehicle and its owner
The chassis number 7427 from De Tomaso is something special from the start. The very successful and colorful Greek entrepreneur and playboy Constantin Anastase Mantas, born in 1942, planned to put a unique super sports car in his garage. He already had the only De Tomaso Mangusta Spider built. So, together with his friend Alejandro De Tomaso, he devised a vehicle that should go beyond all superlatives. Alejandro (himself a successful racing driver) understood what his rich customer and friend expected, a unique and distinctive supercar. And so Anastase Mantas was able to intervene in the design and implement his personal ideas with the help of De Tomaso's work.
This vehicle was ordered through the De Tomaso agency in Germany, probably to avoid sales tax. The responsable Italian representative in Milan was so annoyed that he demanded compensation from De Tomaso in the form of free spare parts due to the lack of commission. Even this correspondence can be found in the very extensive dossier. A separate file was then kept in-house for this vehicle in which every customer request was detailed. It all started in 1975. A Panterra from the legendary Post-Ford served as the base. Here the Ford Cleveland engine was installed with a little more than 5.7 liters cubik-inch. The special requests such as: "No Pantera lettering on the side, vehicle as low as possible, dashboard made of white leather, the area under the small displays on the dashboard and the inner door covers should also be made of white leather. In the A "T" must be placed in the middle of the radiator, no rear bumper, exhaust system with free flow ". The finished prototype was painted at Carrozzeria Vignale, which Alejandro De Tomaso acquired as well as none other than the company Maserati, or the motorcycle manufacturer Moto Guzzi and, incidentally, the Carrozzeria Ghia. In 1975 Alejandro De Tomaso was at the height of his creative power.
With the know-how of its new sister companies, the De Tomaso factory had more opportunities to meet Tony Mantas' growing wishes and so this Pantera was continuously modified. For Mantas it was very important that his GTS was faster than, for example, an Alfa Romeo T33, as a phone note from 1975 shows. The aorodynamically optimized side panels are reminiscent of Group 4 racing vehicles. This GTS has been refined again and again in the factory. Millions of lire were invested by the customer in his time, until the engine was finally drilled out to 6.6 liters in 1979 and now met Mr. Mantas' requirements. Of course, the aerodynamics were also refined and experimented with front spoilers, rear spoilers and different rims.
Tony Mantas Mantas, who are native to Greece and at home all over the world, drove through Europe with changing export license plates until he was stopped by the Italian police in 1985 and his vehicle was confiscated due to invalid license plates. Mantas did not manage to trigger his vehicle again and so this Pantera rotten in a police car park. In 1992 it was auctioned for 1,600,000 lire. The new owner from Bologna restored this GTS in all details. The original documents generously provided by Mr. Mantas were helpful to him.
In 2010 the Pantera changed hands again and the Milanese importer, funnily enough, bought the Pantera again and then sold it to the last owner at a profit. This vehicle is still in exceptionally good condition today. The engine starts on first demand, the transmission and brakes are without any complaints, the paintwork and the interior are in beautiful condition with a touch of patina.
What makes this Pantera so special and unique are the hundreds of internal documents from De Tomaso, invoices for the work carried out, and even a copy of Mr. Mantas' passport can be found in the file. We have seldom been able to offer such a comprehensively documented vehicle. We sell this De Tomaso on commission for the consignor.
This offer is subject to change and subject to prior sale. Additional services such as large 154 pt. Comprehensive inspection, transport worldwide, are possible for a separate expense allowance.
This vehicle offered here is in our factory in Cologne-Kalk, Vietor Str. 85, 51103 Cologne (germany)
