Two nights ago I was looking on Ebay for some parts for my '72 Pantera, and I came across a listing for a very special Pantera that I recognized as that of a Pantera forum member who lives in Denmark. I was surprised because its a car that he has coninuously improved on his own, its gorgeous, and it's seriously fast with 600hp pushing under 3000lbs. I then went onto the Pantera forum sight, and sure enough Mikael (the Pantera owner) had posted his decision to sell his beloved Pantera because he just wasn't driving it, and it represented a considerable investment tucked away in the back of his garage.
He mentioned in his post that he'd been thinking about replacing it with an older Ferrari 456 or maybe a Maserati Gran Turismo. I responded to his post by saying that after I bought my 2010 XKR, I found that I never drove my Pantera because the XKR was just so easy to drive quickly without any of the headaches related to driving the Pantera in warm climates or in traffic, both of which you learn not to do and both of which are constant in Los Angeles. And while I thought the 456 was probably a good investment as it's the cheaper little sister of the Maranello, and all 12 cyl. Ferraris eventually appreciate, I thought the Maserati was not a good idea because of the whole brand's reliability and repair cost record. I have known many Maserati owners who have had nothing but problems and got out as soon as they could. I know of three who had Maserati buy their cars back. I suggested to Mikael that maybe he should check out a Jaguar XKR, that prices were quite reasonable, performance was better than the Maserati, and reliability was very good for a high performance/luxury car, and that if he sold his Pantera, he'd have about $120,000 change left in his pocket after purchasing a used XKR. He thanked me for the idea in his next post and immediately went online looking at XKRs. Before I could even respond, he posted that he couldn't help himself and went out and bought a 2007 silver XKR convertible and attached pictures. The car looks pristine and has had some exhaust mods. He asked me for any known trouble spots, and after mentioning the typical condensation line A/C issue, I told him he needed to join jaguarforums.com as it was a tremendous source of information. I'm sure he'll be introducing himself soon. Less than 24 hours between suggesting he look at an XKR and his purchase, I told him he was quite impulsive!
Below are some of the related threads.
1972 Pre-L for sale, #2518 - Topic

 

And the final page of posts showing more pictures and dialogue. It's so fast, it's shocking!
1972 Pre-L for sale, #2518 - Topic

 

Interesting ted.

 

I'm mostly depressed because I always wanted a Pantera, only to find out ITT that the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

And yes, your friend is impulsive indeed. At least you steered him in the right direction towards a Jaguar!

 

I was more of a Mangusta type.

 

jagtoes,
I think the Mangusta (which is also a part of the Pantera forum) is a spectacular looking car, and with the "wings" open over the engine is quite a sight. It, however, was out of my price range when I bought my Pantera years ago, and is plagued with even more problems than the Pantera originally had. Plus with so few Mangustas produced, the availability of parts, both original and aftermarket, make it a very expensive proposition. But they were certainly a good investment if you bought them years ago as they are $350K and up now. Beccause the Pantera was produced all the way through the early 1990's (more than a 20 year run), there were many more improvements made that have filtered down into fixes for the early cars. I have always found the pre-L cars (1971-1972), the most attractive, Tom Tjaarda's beautiful design was aggressive with elegant lines. Many in the Pantera community preferred the GT5 wide bodied cars with the huge flared fenders, body skirts, ground effects, and spoilers because of the look of unrivaled aggression. There seems to be a Pantera for every taste.

Yesterday, I received my "new" 1987 C-4 Corvette seats, and today they go to my upholsterer to be slathered in black leather with red diamond stitching and red piping. And in a couple of weeks, I will get to drive it for the first time in 2.5 years complete with all of the modifications and upgrades. These include:
1) newly rebuilt 351C engine dynoed at well over 500hp
2) fuel injection (the whole reason I took the car in 2 years ago)
3) new clutch
4) new high performance cooling fans
5) headers and new exhaust (as if it wasn't loud enough)
6) new paint and smoothed engine bay
7) all leather interior and "suede" lined front and rear trunk compartments

Can't wait!

 

A few older pics

 

Tberg, are you familiar with a Pantera nicknamed "Polecat"?

 

Bill51sdr,
No, I don't know it by name, but maybe by sight. Is it down in the San Diego Area?

 

No, it is likely in the Las Vegas area. A guy on a Porsche forum I frequent built and owns it, it is quite a car.

 

We sold Mangustas at the BMC Distributor in Anaheim, Ca. where I worked a long time ago. I was the mechanic charged with working on them, as well as the Jensen Interceptors and Jaguars. One of the most beautiful designs ever in a car, and great fun to drive. My only complaint was when sitting at a traffic light in mid-day, I could never actually SEE the light because of the severely sloping windshield putting the sun directly in my eyes. Oh well, a small price to pay. Speaking of small prices, they cost $11,000 new...

 

I misread your statement and thought you said the Jensen Interceptor was a beautiful design..... I was about ready to send some very nice men in their clean white coats to your door.