DeTomaso Mailing List: July 2000, Message #69

I suppose everyone was copied on PI's announcement that DeTomaso will be manufacturing a new Pantera in 2002 and a new Vallelunga. There are no new photos - only the ones of the prototype seen at the factory last September. I specifically asked Santiago if this was going to be called the Pantera, he specifically said "no", but there may have been reasons to deny it at the time... 

As the page was loading I was hoping I was going to see photos of the new Vallelunga, and my heart was in my throat hoping that the V2 would be worthy of this name... The original was an automotive masterpiece, styling-wise, and my fear was that they would Mangusta2-ize it... I'll have to wait because there were no photos. 

I am optimistic though. The Mangusta 2 was not conceived as a successor to the Mangusta, it was born the Bigua, the name was a total afterthought. So it is clear why there are no ties with the original. If the objective is to design from scratch a replacement for the Pantera and Vallelunga, there ought to be enough styling cues taken from the originals to make it worthy. The prototype is proof of that - it looks like it could have evolved from the original... I hope the new Vallelunga is the same. We'll have to see.

So the factory is still alive???

Charlie McCall 
1972 DeTomaso Pantera Pre-L #3847 (for sale)
1985 Pantera GT5-S #9375
"Raising Pantera Awareness across Europe"