De Tomaso Pantera

Only 9 of the 600 cars in this catalogue combine a V8 with a mid mounted rear wheel drive layout. That is the decision that defines the De Tomaso Pantera before any discussion of acceleration or price. Choosing this configuration bought a distinctive place within the field, but it also came with compromises visible in the wider rankings. With 330 bhp it sits 483rd for power, its 5.5 second run to 100 km/h places it 505th, and its 256 km/h top speed ranks 409th. In absolute terms those figures remain credible. In comparative terms they show a car whose character is shaped more by architecture than by chasing the catalogue's fastest numbers.

That unusual layout becomes even more interesting when set against the wider make up of the collection. A V8 is hardly uncommon here, with 216 of the 600 cars using one, yet naturally aspirated V8s account for only 56 entries. Narrow the focus further to a naturally aspirated V8 with this drivetrain and the field becomes exceptionally small. The Pantera does not stand apart because it overwhelms the statistics. It stands apart because it combines familiar ingredients in an uncommon way, backed by a 5.8 litre engine producing 466 Nm. The result is a GT that occupies a very specific corner of the catalogue rather than competing directly with the obvious headline makers.

Scarcity reinforces that position without needing embellishment. Production reached 7,260 cars, making it rarer than only 7 of the 177 catalogued cars for which production figures are available. It also represents one of just 3 De Tomaso models in the collection, and one of 118 cars originating from Italy. At around £175,000 on the used market it ranks 201st for price, making it more expensive than 399 cars here. That works out at roughly £530 per bhp, a reminder that ownership is not explained by output alone.

Viewed against the catalogue's extremes, the Pantera deliberately resists easy classification. It is neither close to the summit for outright pace nor near the bottom for capability, yet it belongs to one of the rarest mechanical combinations available anywhere in this collection. A dream garage built around the absolute fastest or most powerful cars can always grow further in the same direction. Introducing this De Tomaso changes the conversation instead. It places one of the catalogue's uncommon engineering choices beside its statistical outliers, making the collection broader rather than simply bigger.