As reports emerge that De Tomaso could bring the debut of the new Pantera forward, not everything seems to be rosy at the new outfit, financially speaking. But first things first. Autobild says it’s likely that the De Tomaso Pantera will debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, earlier than previously expected at the Los Angeles show.

The jury’s still out as to whether this will happen, but the German magazine suggests that the new two-seater Pantera will have a V8 General Motors engine with 600 hp. Plenty of aluminium components could get weight down to 1,200 kg, but beyond just the technical aspects of the vehicle, apparently we’re to expect an excellent price-power ratio, so to speak. That will be in order to ensure the Pantera can compete in a very tough segment, and give the De Tomaso brand a good start after a long absence from the sports car sector.

Meanwhile, the Italian press is reporting that the De Tomaso relaunch project is facing some tough financial hurdles. European funding is still held up, creating issues for the company who is currently paying redundancy packages in lieu of the training that was meant to be provided with the funding. Production facilities also need to be upgraded so even if a one-off Pantera appears, we won’t be holding our breath for a full scale production any time soon.

Source | Autoblog.it

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