A DeTomaso Pantera "ADRNLN", with almost no original parts, sold for a record price!

The De Tomaso Pantera is one of those cars whose mere name is enough to awaken an entire era. There's Italy, there's America, and there's this low-slung, edgy line born to challenge Ferrari on its own turf. But the Pantera we're talking about today has little in common with the sports car unveiled at the New York Motor Show in 1970. This bright yellow version, nicknamed "ADRNLN", is a Ringbrothers project, an almost completely rebuilt one-off, and it has just broken the world sales record for a Pantera: $363,000.

When an Italian icon is reborn on American steroids

One look and it's clear that this Pantera is no longer in the same league. Originally, the Pantera was a blend of Italian design and Ford mechanics. More than fifty years later, Ringbrothers has transformed it into a radically different creature, the fruit of more than 5,000 hours' work. The bodywork has been completely smoothed, enlarged and modernized, the panels reworked by hand and sublimated with touches of carbon. Glasurit "Yellow Line" paint, in an almost luminescent yellow, underlines the new proportions and lends the whole an almost unreal presence.

While the silhouette is still timidly reminiscent of the original Pantera, everything that makes up the car has been rethought. The headlamps come from an Audi A4, the rear diffuser is in carbon, the air intake on the roof is reminiscent of a racing car, and the 19-inch HRE forged wheels fill out the widened fenders. It's a Pantera... but transformed as if it had been through three decades of evolution in one go.

A mechanic that's no longer a DeTomaso

Beneath its wildly reworked lines, ADRNLN no longer houses the original Ford V8. Instead, Ringbrothers chose a GM LS3 6.2-liter engine prepared by Wegner Motorsports. The result is a 600-horsepower monster, installed in a mid-rear position like on the Pantera, but with no technical link to the original DeTomaso powertrain.

The transformation doesn't stop there. The ZF manual gearbox has been upgraded by Bowler Transmissions, the suspension is derived from the Corvette C5, the arms are tubular and custom-made, the shock absorbers come from AFCO Racing, and braking is provided by six-piston Baer calipers. It's a Pantera in name, but a contemporary American supercar in behavior.

A Hollywood story

ADRNLN's life is almost as crazy as its design. Originally built for a member of Nike's executive team, it's presented as a 1971 model in tribute to the year the equipment manufacturer was founded. When it appeared at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas in 2013, it instantly became a star.

Later, it was purchased by the famous Richard Rawlings, star of the TV show "Fast 'N' Loud". Its adventure then continued at the prestigious Petersen Museum in Los Angeles, a world temple to the automobile. Finally, it passed into the hands of Prestone, who took the opportunity to give it its current interior in yellow and black leather, perfectly in keeping with its outrageous style. Then it was time for the public sale.

Record sales for an extravagant one-off

Offered for sale by SBX Cars, ADRNLN was bound to attract a lot of attention. On November 12, the auction ended at an impressive $363,000. This is the most expensive De Tomaso Pantera ever sold. Purists may see this as heresy. Restomod enthusiasts, on the other hand, will find in ADRNLN one of the most accomplished projects ever carried out on an Italian base...