Photo: Guido Bissantini for Artcurial
Sometimes, the most amazing things happen without the world noticing. This seems to have been the case of a one-off De Tomaso Pantera GTS, a Pantera like no other: the Tony Mantas Prototype.
Chassis number #742 is a 1975 De Tomaso Pantera GTS that never had much in common with the regular Pantera GTS. And that’s because its original owner, Greek businessman Constantin “Tony” Mantas, was a good friend of Alejandro De Tomaso, so he used that (and his millions) as leverage to get his dream car.
The De Tomaso Pantera GTS “Prototipo Tony Mantas” emerged for sale in Italy, with the listing held by Artcurial. It was estimated to fetch between €180,000 and €220,000 ($217,000 and $265,000) at the Sale Parisienne 2021 event that took place on February 4. The car has sold, but no word yet on who bought it or how much they ended up paying for it.
For a car this famous, with quite a mythical aura around it, it changed hands very quietly.
The Prototipo came with a complete history file by De Tomaso himself, including the initial demands by Mantas and every other modification he would require in the following years, including the number of working hours needed for each. And there was plenty of that: at one point in 1977, the car was in the factory every second month for work.
Initially, De Tomaso started with the following specifications. “No Pantera script on the side, vehicle as low as possible, dashboard in white leather, the area below the small gauges on the dashboard shall also be in white leather as well as the inside door covers. A ‘T’ shall be fitted in the middle of the radiator. EE plates requested, no rear bumper, free flow exhaust system.”
All modifications, both original and follow-up, were done in-factory. In 1978, the Prototipo received a new paint job, in red and white, and a new see-through glass roof was installed, along with a wooden interior. Photographs confirm the modifications were made, but no one knows exactly when it was returned to the original spec.
The Prototipo traveled through Italy, Sweden, France, and possibly Greece. In 1985, it came at the end of the line, when it was seized in Italy by the Polizia Stradale for having invalid plates and, for whatever reason, Mantas never tried to get it back. It would remain in police custody until 1992 when it was sold at auction to a collector. By that time, the Prototipo was in a very bad state, but the owner kept it until 2010 and made sure it would be restored to its old glory – and the original spec.
The De Tomaso Pantera GTS “Prototipo Tony Mantas” emerged for sale in Italy, with the listing held by Artcurial. It was estimated to fetch between €180,000 and €220,000 ($217,000 and $265,000) at the Sale Parisienne 2021 event that took place on February 4. The car has sold, but no word yet on who bought it or how much they ended up paying for it.
For a car this famous, with quite a mythical aura around it, it changed hands very quietly.
The Prototipo came with a complete history file by De Tomaso himself, including the initial demands by Mantas and every other modification he would require in the following years, including the number of working hours needed for each. And there was plenty of that: at one point in 1977, the car was in the factory every second month for work.
Initially, De Tomaso started with the following specifications. “No Pantera script on the side, vehicle as low as possible, dashboard in white leather, the area below the small gauges on the dashboard shall also be in white leather as well as the inside door covers. A ‘T’ shall be fitted in the middle of the radiator. EE plates requested, no rear bumper, free flow exhaust system.”
All modifications, both original and follow-up, were done in-factory. In 1978, the Prototipo received a new paint job, in red and white, and a new see-through glass roof was installed, along with a wooden interior. Photographs confirm the modifications were made, but no one knows exactly when it was returned to the original spec.
The Prototipo traveled through Italy, Sweden, France, and possibly Greece. In 1985, it came at the end of the line, when it was seized in Italy by the Polizia Stradale for having invalid plates and, for whatever reason, Mantas never tried to get it back. It would remain in police custody until 1992 when it was sold at auction to a collector. By that time, the Prototipo was in a very bad state, but the owner kept it until 2010 and made sure it would be restored to its old glory – and the original spec.
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