De Tomaso Pantera 90 Si: The Ultimate Evolution of a Supercar

Ultimate Power - The world of supercars has always been dominated by high-priced, exclusive machines crafted for the elite. But every now and then, a car emerges that challenges this notion—offering breathtaking performance without an astronomical price tag. The De Tomaso Pantera was one such machine, earning its reputation as a blue-collar supercar. 

The De Tomaso Pantera 90 Si would have its styling significantly updated by Marcello Gandini, the man who designed the Miura, Countach, Stratos, and countless others. (Picture from: Silodrome)

With Italian styling and a reliable American V8, it combined the best of both worlds. However, as the years went by, the Pantera needed an evolution, leading to the ultimate version: the De Tomaso Pantera 90 Si. As the final iteration of the Pantera series, the 90 Si was the culmination of decades of refinement. 

The De Tomaso Pantera 90 Si, as the final iteration of the series, represented the ultimate evolution of the model, refined over decades. (Picture from: Silodrome)

It was redesigned by Marcello Gandini, the mastermind behind the Lamborghini Miura and Countach. His expertise gave the car a sharper, more aerodynamic look, bringing it in line with the supercars of the 1990s. 

The interior of the Pantera 90 Si was the best-appointed of any of the Panteras, with leather, wood trim, air-conditioning, electric windows, and more. (Picture from: Silodrome)

Underneath the newly sculpted body, the 90 Si featured extensive mechanical improvements, making it the most advanced Pantera ever built. Power came from a 5.0-liter Ford V8, producing 305 bhp—an upgrade over the previous 5.8-liter engine, thanks to modern electronic fuel injection and revised internals. The chassis received reinforcements, while the suspension was thoroughly reworked to improve handling. 

The original car used a fuel-injected 5.0 liter Ford V8, but this car has had the fuel injection system replaced with a more traditional carburetor. (Picture from: Silodrome)

Braking was also a major highlight, as De Tomaso equipped the 90 Si with four-wheel ventilated and drilled disc brakes, featuring the same Brembo calipers used on the legendary Ferrari F40. Production numbers for the 90 Si were extremely limited, with only 41 units built. 

Just 41 examples of the Pantera 90 Si would be made, though two of these would be destroyed during crash testing and another was sent directly to the De Tomaso Museum. (Picture from: Silodrome)

Of those, two were sacrificed for crash testing, and another was reserved for the De Tomaso Museum, leaving just 38 available to the public. Unlike the original Pantera, which was sold through Lincoln-Mercury dealerships in the United States, the 90 Si was never officially sold new in the U.S., making it an exceptionally rare sight on American roads. | 4ke56gMTviw |

Looking back, the Pantera’s journey from its debut in 1971 to its final 90 Si variant tells the story of a car that defied convention. It offered Ferrari-like performance at a fraction of the cost and proved that supercars didn’t have to be temperamental or unattainable. The 90 Si may have marked the end of the Pantera lineage, but its legacy as an underdog in the supercar world remains as strong as ever. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SILODROME ]

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