Remplaçante de la De tomaso Mangusta, la Pantera fut présentée au salon de New York en mars 1970. Le choix de cette exposition était motivée par le fait que De tomaso avait conclut un accord avec Ford. Ce dernier assurait la distribution de cette voiture sur tout le territoire des Etats-Unis par l’intermédiaire de son réseau Lincoln-Mercury. Dans les autres clauses figurait une cession ultérieure de Ghia, propriété de De tomaso, à Ford.
   Les ambitions commerciales de la Pantera étaient donc tout autres que celles de la Mangusta.
   Le style, avait été confié, comme il se doit, à Ghia et plus spécialement à Tom Tjaarda. L’esprit de cette nouvelle voiture devait s’inspirer du modèle précèdent, à savoir un coupé deux places utilisant les mêmes éléments mécaniques.
   Le nouveau chassis coque, dû à Gianpaolo Dallara, marquait un très net progrès, notamment dans le domaine des répartitions des masses, avec 57% seulement du poids à l’arrière, Elle fut d’abord fabriquée par Vignale puis par Maggiore. Comparée à la Mangusta, la Pantera offrait plus d’espace à ses occupants et aux bagages. En outre, l’air conditionné était monté en série. Le moteur, plus gros que celui de la Mangusta, devait permettre de gagner en fiabilité sans perdre de puissance. Si la Pantera avait, sur la route, un comportement bien meilleur que la Mangusta, elle n’était pas exempte de défauts: fermeté de la suspension, bruit à l’intérieur et tendance à la surchauffe du moteur en ville. Cependant, en dépit de ses lacunes, cette voiture connut rapidement le succès, tant elle était puissante, rapide, originale et spectaculaire.
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   The Pantera is DeTomaso’s most significant production car to date, and lived an overall production life of nearly 25 years. It is the model which most people identify with DeTomaso, and completed the company’s transition to volume producer of high performance GTs. In describing the Pantera’s career, especially from a U.S. perspective, it is easiest to view it in three separate stages: the Ford importation era (1971 - 74), the post-Ford era (1975-1990) and the final iteration (1991-1994), as these last Panteras were substantially different than all prior machines.
   In the late 1960s, Ford was in need of a high performance GT with which to combat the likes of Ferrari and Corvette, and assist in generating additional dealership traffic for its mainstream product lines. DeTomaso Automobili was relying on Ford for engines used in the Mangusta and had purchased the Ghia design and coachbuilding concern. After Ford’s failed attempt to purchase Ferrari, the Ford-DeTomaso marriage seemed quite natural, so a business / purchase arrangement was consummated and work began on a new mid-engined GT. It would be marketed in the U.S. by Ford’s Lincoln-Mercury division.
   
   Ghia stylist Tom Tjaarda was to style the new machine, and Giam Paolo Dallara was engaged for chassis and production design. The Pantera’s layout different from the Mangusta in several fashions. First, it was conceived as a full monocoque chassis layout, as opposed to the prior car’s spine chassis design. Secondly, it to be built around Ford’s then-new 5.7 liter (351 cu. in.) "Cleveland" V-8. This engine featured deep breathing heads patterned after the very successful Boss 302 design, 4-barrel carburation and 4-bolt mainbearing caps. The new V-8 was mated to a ZF fully synchronized 5-speed transaxle with limited slip, and rated at 310 horsepower (SAE Gross, 1971 trim).
   
   All of the expected race inspired componentry is present: fully independent suspension with upper and lower A-Arms, coil over shock absorbers, front and rear sway bars, 4-wheel power disc brakes, cast magnesium wheels by Campagnolo and rack-and-pinion steering. The front compartment housed the brake booster, master cylinder, battery and tool kit; the rear trunk unit, easily removable for engine access, holds a considerable amount of luggage.
   
   The interior features an aggressive cockpit design, full instrumentation, factory air conditioning and power windows. 1971 and 1972 cars carried chrome bumperettes front and rear. In late 1972, the "L" model was introduced, which features black safety bumpers front and rear, improved cooling and air conditioning systems and other enhancements. For 1973, the "L" model continued with a revised dashboard and instrument layout. The last Panteras constructed for the US market were built in late 1974, and included approximately 98 GTS models. The GTS featured larger wheels and tires, fender flares, additional black out paint trim, and other performance minded enhancements.
   
   The first Panteras were marketed at "Around $10,000" as the advertisements would say; the final 1974 units carrying prices of approximately $12,600.
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