Yahoo Autos Blow Minds With the De Tomaso Pantera's Forgotten Successor
The Pantera is perhaps the most well-known car made by De Tomaso car. With a wedge-like '70s shape and an American V8, it was incredibly popular (by supercar standards, at least), and remains an appreciating collectible. But it was far from the only car Alejandro De Tomaso built. There was also the Guarà.
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The Guarà, like the Pantera, used a mid-engine layout. Based on the Maserati Barchetta and built in the mid-1990s, it looked like something that rolled right off an auto-show stand, with an impossibly wide stance, pop-up headlights, and louvered taillights. The exterior cabin shape looks like it was taken from a C5-generation Corvette Z06, and the fog lights and turn signals look like something off a 1990s Mazda. Despite the mix of seemingly disparate design cues, it's a truly stunning automobile.
Early iterations of the Guarà got their power from a BMW-sourced 279-horsepower 4.0-liter V8. This was the same engine found in the 840ci coupe of the same era, but here, it was paired to a six-speed manual with a gorgeous gated shifter. Later versions of the car dropped this engine in favor of a more powerful supercharged V8 from Ford. In addition to Guarà coupes, De Tomaso built convertible and windshield-less Barchetta versions as well.
The Guarà was the last De Tomaso built by the company before it went bankrupt, so if you're not sold on the looks, there's some historical significance here, too. Moreover, just 39 examples of the coupe were built according to the selling dealer, Albion Motorcars. This particular car, chassis #04, painted in dark blue, looks to be in great condition, and has just 28,689 miles on the odometer.
No price is listed on Albion's site, but other Guaràs of in the same condition regularly list for around $200,000 to give you an idea. Unsurprisingly, it's not cheap to be different in the classic car world. But judging by this car's looks, we'd say it's worth it.
via Classic Driver
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