Do you mean the Detomaso Pantera? It was sold through Ford dealers, not Lincoln around here and yes I drove one many times. Very nice car for it's day. No power steering and tuff shifting. It sat lower than a Vette and was very quick and responsive. It always got stares and 'Is that a Ferarri ?' questions on a daily bassis and for kicks you could pull into a gas station, say 'fill it up' and watch them search for where to put the gas. Ford supplied the 351c and acted as the US retailer, but it wasn't really a Ford. No way, no how. It never carried a Ford or Lincoln badge. Detomaso also made the Mangusta. You will find even less of those around and they wern't sold through Ford. Here are examples of each:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Other-Makes-pantera-pantera-detomaso-pantera-1972-475hp-documented-restoration_W0QQitemZ250091987358QQcategoryZ6472QQ rdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Other-Makes-Qvale-Mangusta-DeTomaso-2000_W0QQitemZ170089576719QQcategoryZ6472QQrdZ1QQc mdZViewItem


Your on the right track though, Lincoln needs something new and exciting to get attention.

 

i think i was misunderstood,
jag is great, they make a great car, i can contest to that.
from what im reading on here is that jag has been up for sale for awhile,
so there line isnt working out for ford financially. i would love a new supercharged 8cyl convertible, with its 400 someodd horses.
unless your a movie star who goes out and buys aston martins. but to sell jaguar that is to bad if they do.

 

I remember it well, it was back in 74, I was 14 and went with my dad to Snelling ford to pick up a part. There it was in the showroom, all pretty and red. I first thought it was a gt-40, untill I got a closer look. At anyrate, the point is still the same, linclon needs a car like that, something different that screams "excitement". Even a linclon or mercury version of the miata would be cool, roadsters are getting popular, dodge is even going to build one, they had it at the auto show.

 

Interesting.......The Pantera is maybe my all time favorite car.

Growing up in So.Cal, they were sold through Lincoln/Mercury dealerships.

And while I agree that except for the motor, there wasn't a whole lot of Ford in that car........Ford did own Detomaso up untill a year or two after Ford stopped bringing the "Panther" over.

Detomaso bought themselves back from Ford and continued to build the Pantera for a loooong time afterwards.

One of the reasons Ford quit on the car was the Govt. mandated safety crap.

It was going to be too hideous to add 5 MPH bumpers to a beautiful shape like the Pantera......among other expensive things to make it DOT legal.

 

DOHCmaurder, thats interesting you brought up the safty aspect, I wonder how ford did it with the ford gt as it was simular in design to the panteria. I mean with the bumpers and all. They must have since it was sold for street use.

Freirefishing, accordinding to ford world, jag isn't for sell, they decided to off astin martin instead and make ago of jag. Alan has along love affair with jag since his youth and wants to bring the company back to profability. The biggest thing that ford says hurt jag, was the deterioration of thier facilities, they had to be totally modernized which cost alot of capital. Alan has a plan for jag and I really hope it pans out, I feel as you that jag is a great car, they are destinctive. I like the ones that look like a vette.

 

Freirefishing, there's an interesting article on www.blueovalnews.com about jag that you may want to read. I'm interested as well about jag and fords future plans, so I read all the nuggets I can find.

 

Gee, just when I was going to go to my local Ford dealer and order a new DB8! Green of course. Oh well, Focus here I come!

This is the first time I've seen one of these cars. Not too shabby looking. Probably light as a feather and with that 351 I betcha it's one hell of a ride!

 

ill take a look, my comment from jag being for sale wasnt anything that i read, it was taken from context from peoples input here on fte, from what i was reading it sounded like sales were slumping and they might be up for sale.

 

Interesting idea(s).

I agree with those people who say Mercury needs it's own identity. Something that is seperate and apart from Ford, with a unique line of vehicles that are genuinely a "step-up".

For example, I still don't completely understand why there is still virtual duplication of vehicles between Ford and Mercury. Why call a spruced-up Ford Taurus a Mercury Sable? Same platform, same drivetrain, suspension, brakes, etc. Minor design tweaking and re-badging at higher prices may have worked OK in the past, but that time is long gone.

If the premise of Mercury is to draw in a more affluent customer base than your typical Ford buyer, then I've got news for Ford, the market has changed way too much for that kind of nickel-and-dime thinking. The car-buying public is a lot smarter these days, with more variety and value available to choose from than ever before. Hence the need for Mercury to offer something that is truly above and beyond what you can find from a Ford dealer.

IMO, Lincoln has always been perceived as offering a class of premium vehicles (seperate and above the average Ford or Mercury), and I think it is still seen by a vast majority of people in that same light. Some luster may be off but the brand name still commands a lot of respect. The MKZ should be refined to a point where, fully-optioned, it can compete against the mid/upper-end Beemers (and not just on paper).

As for Aston Martin, I don't see myself ever owning one, nor do I ever see them around anywhere on the roads for me to have much interest in them. So I suppose I'll just have to rely on all those number-crunchers who are telling Ford that this is the right thing for them to do at this time.

 

Mercury in its current state is pretty useless, it just gives a little more sound deadening material and a couple of other small things + a different grill. They need to do something with it or kill it.

and while the mazda6 is a nice car, a Lincoln should never be a re-skinned Mazda.

 

Thanks DOHCmarauder. I didn't realize Ford owned them. It was one of my favorite cars too.

 

I just saw an editorial cartoon concerning the sale from the Detroit News.
it's at www.townhall.com/funnies/2007/03/13/14

 

lol That made my day! The dog in the truck's passenger seat turning his head away is a great touch.

Here is the cartoon using image tags:

 

Wendell, Ford paid 4 billion dollars for Jaguar, then spent an additional 2 billion dollars on restyling and marketing. What happened? Little or nothing. The cars have no buyers, it can't compete against Lexus, BMW, Mercedes or even Infiniti. Sales have been miniscule. The throwback styling of the current flagship sedan, hasn't sold, and now Ford is spending mega-millions more for another redesign. It won't sell either. Where are the potential buyers?



If Ford had spent one third of the money spent on Jag, on the Lincoln-Mercury Division, maybe they would have something unique and appealing in the marketplace.


Strip the skin off a Town Car, or Mercury Grand Marquis and what da ya got? A 1979 LTD Crown Vic. The design of the chassis dates to 1965. The biggest improvements have been rack and pinion steering, and the wheelbase was extended on the TC's, to make easier getting in and out of the rear seat. That's about it. If it wasn't for rental car and livery sales, the Town Car would prolly be history. The Grand Marquis and Crown Vic will prolly be discontinued soon. Ford has moved the Town Car jigs and fixtures to another factory, so it seems it will continue. What are the plans? Another re-skin prolly, as there is no money to do much else.

 

The Pantera's were loaded with problems, and didn't sell well after the first year. Here was another car that was totally unprepared for the US market. To give you an idea, the sheet metal was hand formed in Italy and when replacement body parts were needed, the sheetmetal had to be re-shaped to make it fit. The front fenders for example, had no area for the hood to nest into, just extra sheetmetal that body men had to work with. The left fender might line up, but not the right. Either it was too long, or the mounting holes were in the wrong place. Don't even remind me of the doors...abject horror stories! Body repair costs were enormous. While the 351C engine was trouble free, the electronics were a nightmare. Another typical Italian car, beautiful to look at, a monster to repair.



Jack Webb (just the facts, ma'am) bought one. You could set your watch, because you knew that by 10 0'clock in the morning, there he would be in the service drive. And he would wait for the car, pestering the only mechanic the L/M dealer had that would touch it. In those days, Ford mechanics would refuse to work on certain cars...remember the Cortina? Mechanics hated them. One old guy I knew would ask others how do you spell the name? His answer? s-*-*-*-b-o-x.



The Pantera died because of slow sales and the safety changes needed to make them US saleable. Few then mourned its passing. From 1975, the only dealer that worked on them locally was Roche-Mayberry, the L/M dealer in North Hollywood. If the Pantera had been better prepped for the US market, it might have had a chance. It still has a great following today, but back then, the initials problems killed the car.