Ares Design Reimagines, Modernizes Iconic De Tomaso Pantera
Ares Design Panther ProgettoUno updates the Pantera with carbon fiber panels, powerful naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10.
Back in 1971, the 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, Disney World opened for the first time, and Italian automaker De Tomaso delivered one of the coolest Italo-American cars ever made, the Pantera. In the U.S., the icon was sold at Lincoln-Mercury dealerships from late that year through 1975, at which point only a handful of gray market cars came over.
Today, Italian design house Ares Design has brought back the classic Pantera, updating its looks and power for the 2020s.
Dubbed the Panther ProgettoUno, Ares Design’s take on the Pantera means using a donor car of aluminum and carbon fiber as the platform for the retro-modern car, which is made with carbon fiber body panels attached to a high-strength steel roll cage to keep your head intact.
Backing the looks is a naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 putting out 650 horses and 443 lb-ft of torque to all corners via a seven-speed dual-clutch and a fifth-gen Haldex all-wheel drive system. And speaking of the corners, each one has a forged aluminum wheel (20 inches up front, 21 inches in back) wrapped in Pirellis, all mounted over carbon ceramic discs with six-piston Brembo calipers to stop the insanity.
Inside the Panther ProgettoUno, carbon fiber and leather is the order of the day, along with paddle shifters for when you want to take matters completely into your own hands, and a TFT gauge readout providing plenty of information on your car’s performance. There’s even a set of switches on the driver’s side to complete the retro-classic Pantera vibes.
Should you want this retro Pantera for your own, you’ll need around $700,000 and 12 weeks of patience while awaiting delivery. You’ll definitely be the envy of the neighborhood and fellow Pantera owners when this beauty leaves the truck, though.
