TP: So Darryl, how did you come to own your Pantera? What were you driving before?

DJ: I had not invested in any type of exotic car prior to the purchase of this Pantera. However, I was in the market for a "hot" sports car and was looking though Hemmings online as well as other web sources for sports cars when I saw this Pantera that I liked. I had always really liked the design and shape of the Pantera and when I saw this car at Gateway Classics in St. Louis I flew out and took a look. The price was good enough that I decided to buy the car and arranged to have it shipped back to California.

TP: What's the story behind your purchase of this car? Were there other cars that you were considering when you bought this one?

DJ: I was in the market and was looking for a turbo Porsche or a Lotus Turbo Esprit when I happened to see the Pantera I have now in an ad on a website for Gateway Classics in St. Louis. I had always liked the Pantera ever since I had seen one during my second stint in College back in the mid 70's and this one looked pretty awesome!

TP: How long have you been working on this particular project, what would you say your build philosophy has been?

DJ: I've owned this car for almost 7 years and have been working on it for most of that time. In fact the first 3 years the car was always at some builder or fabricator's site and I only saw it during project reviews or when the builders needed money. Once you get into the realization of the design you have in your head the process can be almost unlimited in scope. During the times I've had the car back in my garage there have always been stretches when it is being updated or worked on to correct any issues that might have developed.

TP: Is this your daily driver? What else do you have in your garage?

DJ: No, at this time my garage is full but of mostly mundane vehicles. There's everything from a 40 ft. motorhome, my tow vehicle, which is an F350 Ford Turbo Diesel Dually truck, a small Ford Ranger Pickup for towing behind the Motorhome and then there's my wife's Lincoln MKZ and finally my 1967 "Big Block" Mustang Fastback. The Mustang is in process of being converted into a "Resto-Mod" version with an even bigger big block engine or a supercharged Ford Mod motor. I'll keep you guys posted since I'm not done with the design of that car yet.

TP: What was the first modification that you made? Tell us about your build process and some of the major milestones.

DJ: The first iteration was a complete upgrade to the stock suspension and brakes which over time had become less than effective. Someone, in the past, had tried to make it a show car because all the A-Arms and drive components were chromed. Not sure why since it's very difficult to see. But even after the "semi" upgrade to the suspension consisting mostly of adjustable shocks, bushings and then a brake kit offered by one of the Pantera Vendors I wasn't satisfied with the results. It just seemed like the older car it really was as a 35 year old mid engine sports car. At that point I got serious and found a guy in the Pantera community who had spent a great deal of time and money developing a true sports car suspension system for the Pantera. This gentleman had spent some real resources getting Sean Griggs of Grigg's Racing to develop the geometry needed to add C-5 Corvette hubs or uprights to the Pantera including the brakes and A-Arms, etc. I worked with Ron (the developer of this system) to bring my car up to his fabricator's site (Maier's Racing Frames)for the upgrade. It required some special fabrication since my car was five inches wider in the back than any stock Pantera like Ron's car was. The bottom line was that this was all finished and installed in approximately 9 months and included a new set of lightweight three piece wheels from Forgeline as well.

Prior to taking the car up to Washington we had removed the old small block 351 Cleveland in preparation for the next step which was the installation of the "Big Block" engine. That step involved looking at several alternatives other than the big block like the new Ford Mod Motors with superchargers and then some crate engines of various sizes based on the small block Ford engine. However, at driving all of them the absolute most radical from a power and performance perspective was the huge big block Ford now resting in the engine bay. The installation of the 545 CI engine based on the 460 Ford block proved to be challenging in itself. The size of the engine requires a significant amount of design work to shoehorn it into the engine bay and then get all the systems working properly and mated up to the engine and the ZF transaxle. For example a standard distributor would not work in this configuration due to the fact that we had to move the engine as far forward as possible in order to reduce the angle that the axles would have given that the engine was longer than the small block it replaced and then the adapter plate to get the ZF to mount to the big block pushed everything back even more. The solution was a "crank trigger" ignition which was run off a special set of four coil packs hooked to a computer built by Lance Nist.

There are many iterations to the above conversion process and a long trial and error period needed to get us where we are now. Other non-performance related upgrades had to do with the interior and the lay out of all those components. Mostly the stock interior was taken out and replaced with lightweight kevlar seats, carbon fiber dash, console and door panels. New electric panels with modern fuses and relays were installed as well as modern window actuators and gauges. In all it turned out to be a decent looking package that was functional as well.

TP: Have you ever dyno'd your car? What kind of power to the wheels are you putting down with your current setup? Do you plan on improving the performance and adding more power down the road?

DJ: Yes, we've dyno'd this car several times. The last time was after an upgrade to the ignition system computer while we were timing and tuning the engine. In fact, the tuner was surprised when we ran past the speed limit on his dyno of 150 mph in 4th gear! It caused the dyno system computer to shutdown when you bounce off that speed upper limit. The result of the tuning was that the engine turned 537 HP and 605 ft/lbs of torque at the rear wheels. I was surprised at the torque readings but if you ever ride in this car you'll know the difference between a horsepower car and a torque monster. Right now we're having trouble with finding clutch combinations that can handle the torque of this engine given that it is a mid engine care with the weight over the very wide, sticky Toyo R888 tires.

TP: Do you do any sort of racing with this car? Drag, road course, or street?

DJ: Yeah, we've done several track events at Willow Springs, Pahrump Nevada, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Thunderhill. Then we also like to do open road racing like the Silver State Classic Challenge in Ely NV. We've run the car twice in that event and done pretty well considering its mostly a time trial event. Then this last March 6th we ran the car in the inaugural Mojave Mile Shootout event in Mojave CA. The car at this event did well but was limited to my lack of some speed equipment for the driver (me) like a Hans device and arm restraints. The car tech'd to 205 MPH and I was tech'd to 165 MPH so we were limited to that speed. I did a first run and easily ran it up to 174 MPH indicated but shut it down early so we didn't get booted from the event for busting out on our first run. I think with this engine and trans combination we can easily get into the mid 180's. We'll see next September at the second running of this event.

TP: Who would you say does most of the work on your car? Is there a specific person or performance shop(s) that you take it to?

DJ: I do some small stuff but take it to the pro's for real or precise work. I've learned the hard way to stay away from a lot of the Pantera "specialists" and go with recommended pro's in my local area. Now, I have Pacific Custom Fabrication for metal work, Performance Art for suspension updates and alignments and Evan Matthews (A Lamborghini engine specialist) for engine tuning and engine management systems all of which are located here in the Gilroy area.

TP: What modification(s) would you say is(are) the most rare or unique to your car? What do you think makes your Pantera stand out compared to all the others out there?

DJ: I'd have to say that the shape and body configuration of this Pantera is unique. In fact, there is only one of these with the rear of the car widened over 10 inches and the front chin spoiler integrated into the front of the car. The gills at the beginning of the widened panels are unique and functional since they route to both brake ducts and to an integrated oil cooler on the right or passenger side. So, from first glance or a detailed look it is obvious from an aerodynamic perspective that this car is unique.

TP: So what do you have planned next? Is this car going to see any more major cosmetic or performance changes?

DJ: The big block engine currently in the car has a iron block with aluminum heads, intake and water pump. However, in the interest of reducing weight even more we have an aluminum 460 Big Block that will be used to replace the iron block in the near future when we re-configure the engine with the current rotating assembly but use the new John Kaase aluminum Boss 429 Semi-Hemi heads. This configuration will drop more than 120 lbs from the rear of the car and boost horsepower to over 800 HP. I believe this configuration will finally allow me to hit 200 MPH in the Mojave Mile. Doing 200 MPH in a mile is a very lofty goal for a normally aspirated 35 year old sports car.

TP: How long do you plan on keeping it? What car would you most like to get next if you were to sell this one? Why?

DJ: I plan on keeping this car for some time. I see no reason to get rid of it since it is a realization of one of my performance goals to build and drive a "torque monster" mid engined sports car. It is the embodiment of the old saying that "we pay for horsepower but we drive torque". If I had the capability in the future I'd like to obtain a Saleen S7 and preferably the twin turbo version. This is Americas finest and most advanced, from a performance perspective, sports car. S7 ownership is also a very exclusive club since you don't see many S7's on the street.

TP: Are there any other unique things to your car that you would like to tell us about?

DJ: I guess the only other item lies in the overall weight reduction program the car's been on. After all the modifications and updating of components to lighter but stronger materials we've been successful in getting the car down to just slightly under the 3,000 lb. mark. We have some more to do in this area as the discussion of the aluminum block suggest. So, carbon ceramic brakes along with the aluminum block may be in the future for this car. There is a lot of development for the modern Corvette in this space and since we run Corvette suspension components they should work on this car.

TP: Well Darryl, we'd like to thank you for sitting down with us. Are there any shout-outs you'd like to make?

DJ: Yes, I'd like to acknowledge the Pantera Club of Northern California as one of the largest and most tight knit groups in the car world. They are the most open and helpful group I've ever been associated with and are dedicated to this marque completely.

Car Year: 1974
Car Make: DeTomaso
Car Model: Pantera
Car Color: Red

Modifications:

Engine & Drivetrain:
All Panteras came with a 351 Cleveland small block from the factory. We have replaced that small block with a bored and stroked Ford Big Block. The car now uses a 460 cubic inch block bored and stroked to 545 CI. To top that off the engine was built with a moderately aggressive hydraulic roller cam with Edelbrock Aluminum Performer RPM heads using roller rockers with an aluminum Edelbrock Performer intake topped with a Holley 850 CFM double pumper Carb. To feed the carb system we designed and had built a custom air filter/cold air intake that used Carbon Fibre scoops on each side of the car connected to the filter housing.

The design criteria was to have an engine with sufficient horsepower and torque to run at high speeds for both track and open road race events. This engine with a compression ratio of 10.2:1 runs easily on pump gas but delivers 620 HP at the crank and 610 ft/lbs of torge. Recent tuning session on a roller dyno gave 537 HP at the rear wheels and 605 ft/lbs of torque.

The transaxle (since it's a mid engine sports car)retained the standard 5 speed ZF. However, we have updated that basic 5 speed with improved internals like the taller ring and pinion combo of 3.77:1 (compared to a stock 4/22:1) as well as high fifth gear ratio of .642. As update to the 35 year old gearbox we also went to a CV joint final drive system rather than the older Ujoint system on stock Panteras. The inside CV set is for the BMW M1 (which also ran a ZF transaxle) and the outside is standard C5 Corvette - explained later.

Electronics:
Since this is a two seater mid engine sportscar with a very big and loud engine right behind your head the stereo while important was not a main feature of the build up. However, we do have a modern Alpine CD player FM tuner with multiple speakers for sound quality. However, the engine noise in the cabin is loud enough to interfere with fine entertainment in most cases.

The engine management system is a custom computer system built by a Pantera enthusiast Lance Nist who provides a full spark and timing system for most all types of engines. This computer drives a set of four coil pack pairs that feed the spark plugs as needed. The timing for the system is generated by a crank mounted timing wheel and sensor for a highly accurate timing system (down to a quarter degres of crank rotation) that can be fine tuned for timing advance and retard functions as needed for top performance.

Suspension & Brakes:
Suspension was a great part of this car's total development. The very old technology provided by the stock Pantera suspension was discarded and a new system that could take advantage of modern components such as tapered bearings, advanced sensors, etc. was designed. Given the huge amount of development and high performance of the modern Corvette running systems the C-5 Corvette uprights or hubs were chosen as the primary suspension feature. From this design standard custom built upper and lower unequal length A-arms were designed so that the C-5 hubs could be fit into the wheel wells at the proper points and angles. The A-arms were fabricated from chrome moly tubing and anodized for protection and esthetic reasons. The custom suspension was then fitted with standard C-5 Corvette front and rear brakes with Baer vented, slotted and cross drilled rotors of 13 inches in front and 12 inches in the back. After several track racing events we can attest to the fact that the C-5 brakes and the large rotors stop this car extremely well. Well enough that exotic brake calipers from after market vendors was not needed. However, once a well designed and "affordable" Carbon ceramic system is available for the Corvette that will be put in place on this Pantera mostly for the great weight savings.

Exhaust:
This Pantera with its custom engine replacement and upgraded transaxle required that the headers be custom built as well to avoid interference with suspension and other components. The custom headers were fabricated from stainless steel using large tube stock. The primary exhaust tubes are 1.75 inches in diameter feeding a 4 inch collector that the feeds the custom polished stainless steel muffler system. The mufflers were re-worked by opening them up and removing or enlarging chambers as needed to accommodate the flow from the huge big block engine. In fact we have not been able to track race this car at Laguna Seca due to its sound emissions being greater than their allowable limits.

Wheels & Tires:
The tires were recently upgraded from Michelin Pilot Sports to the Toyo TR 888's front and rear. The front set are 255 30 ZR 18's while the back are 335 30 ZR 18's. These Toyo's are much stickier with more of a flat surface (less tread) in contact with the pavement for improved mechanical grip.

The wheels on this car were custom configured by Forgeline. The unique deep Pantera off-sets and C-5 Corvette bolt pattern required a custom configuration. The Forgeline SX3 were selected due to their looks, strong construction (using forged aluminum and one piece hoops) and light weight. The rear rims were 13 X 18 at 21 pounds while the fronts were 11 X 18 at 17 pounds.

Exterior & Interior:
Interior:
The standard Pantera interior was pulled and discarded. The driver side space had the floor lowered one and a half inches to allow for a taller person like me to fit in the car while wearing a helmet. Once the floors were lowered new cut loop carpeting was laid down throughout the compartment. Next Sparco EVO II driver and EVO passenger kevlar based race seats were installed using a hardmount system to the floor. Both had to pass numerous racing venue tech inspections so solid mounting was a feature we made sure of. To support or work in conjunction with the seats new G-Force hook and loop 5 point racing harness were installed for both sides. To further the safety issue and ease of entry into the car a removable Sparco steering wheel was used in a red an black motif.

The stock dash and center console was removed and a new set of Carbon fibre dash and console was installed. To augment this upgrade new white faced modern gauges were used to support the look and feel of the sports car motif used in the interior. Carbon Fibre with leather over wraps were used on the side door panels as well.

The interior was completed with a three point roll bar for tech inspections and track safety.

Exterior:
This Pantera is one of the most modified versions of the car your likely to see. This car was widened in the back by ten inches. The widened body panels were formed and constructed in steel adding 5 inches to each side. As you can see from the photos the panels begin immediately after the door openings and continue to the back of the car. Functional vents were installed to allow air to flow to the engine compartment or to pass over an external oil cooler as is the case on the right side of the car. The two quart oil cooler is fixed in front of the wheel well within the widened panel and aids in keeping the engine oil temp within limits when in racing conditions.

The widening required that the rear A-arms mentioned previously also be designed with the 5 inch addition in length including axles and other drive components. In front the wheel wells were flared and rolled for tire safety. The front also got a new headlight treatment that removed the headlight rotational buckets and were replaced with a more GT 40 look fixed deep light well. The old round sealed beams were replaced with modern high intensity individual quartz projector beam light assemblies. The cover for these units was constructed of custom cut Lexan plastic. The bottom of the front end contains a fully integrated front chin spoiler. This as well as the widened body panels were all done in steel and are permanent extensions to the car and its lines.

The final external additions were the fiberglass front hood with radiator cooling ports and the rear deck lid mounted Amerisport wing. The Wing was originally designed by Amerisport for the Pantera and fits well. The wing and the front deck lid add greatly to the stability of the car. During an open road race event in Nevada the car obtained speeds in excess of 165 mph and was very stable throughout that event. Earlier this year on March 6th at the Mojave Mile event the car ran up to 173 mph in a standing one mile run and again was as stable as a rock. Next fall we'll run this event again and with the proper safety equipment (hans device and arm restraints which were missing at this event and limited my tech's top speed) run all out and hopefully hit the mid 180 mph range in this standing start event.

Photo credits belong to Official TunerPlayground Featured Car Photographers: Jeff Cabacungan and Chad Freeman from Photoshootmycar.com

There are no comments posted

*email will remain private