WORDS: NATHAN CHADWICK | PHOTOS: 2004SILVESTRO/RM SOTHEBY’S
Moulds for the 1999 De Tomaso Nuova Pantera Prototype have become available via an Italian seller on eBay. The seller, ‘2004Silvestro’, has both rear wing moulds for sale, among a vast archive of De Tomaso and Maserati paperwork from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
If you're thinking of building a Nuova Pantera as part of what would be an elaborate automotive puzzle game, at least that's two components down
The complete prototype itself (pictured below), one of two built and the only one surviving, is believed to be in a Swiss collection. First unveiled on September 5, 1999 during De Tomaso’s 40th anniversary celebrations, it would be the last car personally introduced by Alejandro de Tomaso before his passing in 2003.
Styled by Marcello Gandini, its underpinnings were supposed to feature a Ford V8 mated to a six-speed gearbox. However, the prototype was a static mock-up, and would be the last concept car released prior to the company’s closure in 2004. No more development was done on the Nuova Pantera, although its styling is believed to have been a possible influence on the Bugatti Veyron.
Following that 2004 collapse of De Tomaso, the factory was abandoned – in this article, you can see several models and items left. The factory was demolished a few years ago, and the eBay seller has provided few details about the two wing sections. Priced at £1,249.17 each, the left one is here and the right is here. As for the other body-part moulds, they don’t appear to be part of the seller’s lot list. Still, if you’re thinking of building a Nuova Pantera as part of what would be an elaborate automotive puzzle game, at least that’s two components down…
For more De Tomaso tales, the 21st issue of Magneto features the famous Mangusta that starred in Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out Of My Head video, telling the story behind its restoration and that of the car itself. To order a copy, head here.
