17. De Tomaso Pantera
Maybe not as famous as Ferrari or Lamborghini, De Tomaso is another legend of the Italian sports car scene from the ‘60s. Started by Alejandro De Tomaso, the company first began as a race car outfit. But soon, they moved to the sports car market with a lineup of successful models. They featured Ford’s small block engines, a five-speed transaxle gearbox, and an aggressive design.
The first car was the De Tomaso Mangusta, which they introduced in 1967. However, the Pantera they presented in 1969 was far more successful and popular, even though it shared a lot with the Mangusta. The key to the Pantera’s success was that Alejandro De Tomaso made a deal with the Ford Motor Company. That meant they could officially sell De Tomaso products in America through the Lincoln-Mercury dealership network.