The Pantera supercar is, and will always be De Tomaso’s most famous car, but is it the one that’s most likely to swivel heads on the sidewalk? This striking 1996 Guara Barchetta has the Pantera beaten hands down when it comes to attracting attention, and would even give the gorgeous new De Tomaso P72 a run for its money.
The Guara had its roots in a series of Maserati Barchetta racecars built at the dawn of the 1990s for a one-make series, the Grantrofeo Monomarca Barchetta Maserati. Alejandro de Tomaso owned Maserati at the time and had the track cars constructed at his Modena factory, along with one Stradale road car prototype.
When the project ended with Fiat’s complete acquisition of Maserati, De Tomaso lengthened the chassis to accommodate a switch from mid-mounted Maserati V6 to BMW V8 power, creating the Guara road car. Around 52 were built starting in 1993, the majority featuring coupe bodywork, a couple getting convertible Spider bodies and only 10 coming in Barchetta form, capturing the essence of the original Maserati racers.
Related: Maserati Built A Handful Of These Barchettas In The ’90s (Who Knew?)
This particular car was purchased new without an engine in 1996 by the boss of Pantera Parts, allowing it to be imported to the U.S. and then fitted with a 32-valve 4.6-liter Ford V8 good for at least 305 hp (309 PS) and driving the rear wheels through a six-speed transmission.
The transmission’s gated shifter is a nice touch, and the slatted tail lamps are a great bit of Italian industrial design, but our favorite detail has to be the carbon rear-view mirror that sits on a stalk above the cowl and makes us think of wedgy early 1970s Targa Florio legends like the Porsche 908 whose styling it kind of also shares.
Barchettas originally came with no screen whatsoever, but this one has been made slightly more practical for road use without spoiling the looks or appeal of the car. In fact, we’d say it looks better, and not having to wear a helmet (or tape your mouth shut to keep the flies out) has definite appeal. If you find the whole package appealing, this example is currently for sale on Bring-a-Trailer. Looks like the perfect summer car to us.
