1971 De Tomaso Pantera - 'Pulsante'. The Hawaii Five-0 Pantera !

This early ‘pulsante' (or push-button) De Tomaso Pantera is a rarity in its own right. But a stint as a ‘Hawaii Five-0’ car, both on and off screen, gives it a unique and even more intriguing history…

One of the De Tomaso Pantera’s key strengths is the combination of a powerful American V8 engine and a sleek, purpose-built body, the sort that had become popular amongst Italian coachbuilders (Ghia in this case) in the early seventies. This Pantera however has a fascinating story of its own : it spent much of its life in Hawaii – where it was owned by a police officer and featured in the famous TV series ‘Hawaii Five-0’.

At the time, ‘Hawaii Five-0’ was the most-watched television series in the world. Shortly after the car had been delivered to the police officer who owned it, the series’ producers needed two Panteras for a storyline in the fifth-season episode ‘Death Wish on Tantalus Mountain’. Ford, which usually supplied vehicles for the series and was credited in the closing credits, was unable to provide a demonstration model because the car was in short supply. Instead, a search was launched for existing Pantera owners in Hawaii. Two cars were found, one yellow and one red – the owner of the latter was a Hawaiian police officer named George Frain. When actor Ricardo Montalbano (who played the role of Alex Pareno, a wealthy motor racing enthusiast) was injured just before filming, Frain stepped in and drove the car himself.

In the story, the mechanic of gentleman driver Alex Pareno is murdered on the eve of a high-profile hill climb race in Hawaii. The episode features several driving scenes in which the Pantera races at high speed along the unpaved roads towards Tantalus Mountain, with the car’s real owner - police officer George Frain - behind the wheel. There is one dynamic shot in which the camera looks down from above over the roof and the sleek bonnet, whilst the car is in motion – a shot achieved by removing the bonnet and securing the cameraman in a makeshift seat above the engine. But however spectacular those 15 minutes of fame on screen may have been, one can’t help but wonder whether the car’s life off-screen wasn’t even more eventful, given that Frain kept the car for 35 years before selling it on in 2006 to… another Hawaiian police officer. In 2014 the car came to the UK and was completely restored to its original configuration, including the roundel with number 6 as it wore in the television series.

This unique De Tomaso Pantera is now just as desirable as the day it was delivered new to Hawaii – but with the addition of an abundance of ‘stories’, both told and untold, that increase its curiosity value. A proper collectors car and probably one of the most interesting Pantera's in the world.