A Man and his Car Series: Al Axelrod going on 33 Years with one Pantera.
By Wallace Wyss
They say after many years of marriage a couple tends to look alike.
So far, after a 34-year “marriage” to his Pantera, Al Axelrod hasn’t yet taken on a silver patina (except for a wee bit of gray around the temples…) like his Pantera, but it could happen.
Why so long with one car?
“It meets my needs as far as an exotic,” says Axelrod, who for 24 years ran his own shop adjacent to Beverly Hills servicing special interest and exotic cars.
Axelrod now lives in Centennial, Colorado, where, even though he’s in his mid 70’s, he still looks forward to each ski season, especially at Copper Mountain and Vail, let alone A-Basin and Winter Park.
But when there’s no snow on the ground, for entertainment, he drives his 1972 Pantera. (or maybe his ‘32 Ford street rod stake truck) “I bought the Pantera with 26k miles on it, fried engine and all, back in 1976,” he recalls after maintaining it for the original owner who purchased it at a Lincoln-Mercury dealer in Hollywood and refused to take it back there for “warrantee” work.
Hey, if you're 75 and you're still skiing, then you can handle a rip-roarin' sports car like a Pantera.
“I had looked at several and knew not to get the very early ones which had cooling problems and some detail issues needing upgrading. By the time mine (mid 72) was made they had sorted all that out.”
He also, like many Pantera owners, did his own upgrades. The heavy cast iron intake manifold was changed to an aluminum one, the stock Autolite four barrel was changed to a Holley, and the stock exhaust manifolds and mufflers were retained to control the noise level in the cab.
“I recently had to rebuild my air conditioning system,” he reports, “of course that was after 30 years that it was inoperative.”
The Pantera had a gated shifter--it was supposed to guide you to the right gear but if the linkages were askew you could be in 4th and think you were in second. Interior looks surprisingly fresh after all these years.
“I changed it to a H134 system and it does the cooling job, especially since the cab is pretty small. He also changed the compressor to a rotary Japanese unit instead of re-using the old upright York, a design that went back to the sixties.”
Panteras had a reputation for over-heating. Do they? Axelrod says the way the system was first designed it inexplicably had a baffle that caused half the radiator not to be used. That was corrected by the late 1971 models but to further improve the function he made a new radiator, with a four row core, and the internal baffle was relocated. Now, he never has a problem with a relatively stock, balanced and blueprinted 351 Cleveland.
The front hood grates are an aftermarket item. Some think that this option originated with a U.S. Pantera parts seller and was adopted by the factory. You had to put the grates in the right place or all you vented was the front luggage compartment.
The Pantera, driven sensibly has all original pads and shocks/struts, the steering rack has been rebuilt (a simple matter) and he recently repacked and resealed the original front wheel bearings for the first time.
The most expensive piece to repair on a Pantera is the ZF 5DS/25/1 5-speed transxle made in Germany. “I have never rebuilt mine,” says Axelrod but in 1976 we replaced the 2nd gear syncro and resealed the box. The clutch was new at 32K miles, and the car has 69K now, with only the clutch hydraulics needing replacement, along with a new brake master cylinder since then.”
Though he was a member of Pantera International and POCA and went to many events during his 50 years in California, Axelrod seldom put the car on the track. “But now that I am in Colorado I am enthusiastic about that again and recently ran the High Plains Raceway course and was pleased to see I could keep up with the fat-tired, big-engined well-modified Panteras at 110 mph plus.”
Before there was a Pantera in his life, Axelrod owned an Aston, Ferrari, Morgan, Alfa, Austin Healeys, MG’s, Triumphs, Vauxall, Morris, Jags, and of course, numerous domestics and even raced a mid-engined Matra D’Jet. “I kind of miss those cars,” he says, “but you can’t beat the low cost of maintenance on an exotic car that you can go to the nearest auto parts store and buy engine parts for.”
Window louvers , a la Larry Shinoda on the Boss Mustang or Lamborghini Miura, were an aftermarket option that Axelrod picked up somewhere along the way.
For DeTomaso parts he doesn’t have to go too far. There is Pantera Performance in nearby Castle Rock with what he describes as “friendly Dennis Quella” to lean on when assistance is needed
Axelrod, a consultant doing automotive defect forensic analysis , participated in writing a book called Ford GT40 and the New Ford GT. “I drove the ’06 model for a day” he recalls, “but found that, for the money—roughly $30,000 for a well used Pantera vs. $150,000 for a used ’05-’06 Ford GT—you can’t beat the Pantera. Just watch out for rust, especially on an Eastern or Euro car, the rest is easy.”
Al Axelrod and his son Aaron, often take the Pantera up the hill, in this case the hill being the nearest Colorado Rocky.
The irony of having moved to Colorado about 3 years ago was that, while in Los Angeles, his Pantera was hardly noticed, while out in Colorado many locals have never seen one. Even with 34 year old paint, after considerable detailing by Al and his son Aaron, it garnered a first place award over 17 neat sport cars in Gunnison Colorado in August.
“They want to know if it’s a new car or a kit car” he chuckles. He also appreciates the new GT 40, for sure, but feels there is still a place for a 4 cam Cobra engine, 5 or 6 speed transaxle in an upgraded Pantera type sports car if Ford was so inclined. That ought be enough power for the next generation…
Wallace Wyss was Axelrod’s co-author in the book Ford GT40 and the New Ford GT
Kia Australia has a range of 
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Excuse my honesty here, but I have to say B S to several points in this Pantera article. I run – screaming, when I hear the word Pantera. I owned a ‘72, w/48K miles on it from 1980 ’til 2002 and sold it at about 88K odo miles. 23 yrs. Taking wads of hundred dollar bills to my ex-Lincoln-Mercury dealership mechanic – who also owned a ‘74, was a never-ending thing. He has completly disassembled Panteras and is THE Cen. Fla. guy for Panteras. (Jim Zych) With a name like that, you KNOW he has to be good.
#1. We put a Hall (larger) radiator in it with a 3rd fan and went through the entire cooling system. The car STILL could not be driven in stop & go or creeping traffic situations. #2. Associated with this “heat-sink”, was a never-cured refusal to hot start. #3. The A/C system was upgraded with rebuilt stock compressor, larger Hall rear condenser, etc. and the car could not be driven in the same traffic situations as above – plus, steady summer highway driving required towels in the car to mop sweat. #4. Most of the electrics were troublesome. #5. Pop-up headlights were erratic – even with trouble-shooting and repairs. #6. Gas tank sits on the frame rail with a pad/cushion, which retains water and will rust out the bottom of the tank. We took out tank (required engine removal) and cut one end off the boot shaped tank and aircraft sealed it. Lost maybe 1-1/2 gals. capacity but no biggie. When we stripped the paint, we found filled rust holes across the rear of the steel top. Rockers were not rusted out but the “S” shaped rails under the floorboard were. Had to have a shop fab new ones. There was also rust in the front valance area under the big heavy bumper. The windshield leaked water. The defroster was useless. I WILL say that my “built” street engine with dbl. pumper 650 Holley – along with brakes & shocks were never a problem. The ZF trans was always good, but we finally replaced 2 or 3 synchros. After about 5 yrs., my wife refused to ever get in it again. Why? Well, one thing was the very real possibility of having to help me push it off in front of a fine restaurant while in heels. Yes, that happened. On the plus side, it’s most fun attribute was it’s ability to vacate the premises in 5th (no downshift) from about 110 – 125. Just STORMING!!!!
And the racket inside was wonderful – a pair of Hall short glass paks. Wish i had that huge pile of money back now and I probably miss it about 3 days a year.
PS: I’m looking for a properly built last series Corvair coupe with mid-engined Chevy. V8 to again experience the brutish acceleration I miss. Oh, and I am 70 yrs. old.
Joe Dunlap
Cen. Fla.
I love it! You guys are 70 years old! Your still gettin’ off on the Pantera. Back in the day, you guys got a” news letter” Today with the internet. Being a Pantera owner is istant. I have made friends with owners world wide. THANKS for leading the way! Bill 1362
What the heck? I’ve had my Pantera for 10 years and it runs great! It was ancient when I got it, but I replaced the radiator, redid the brakes to stock, replaced the fuel hoses and a distributor shear pin and I was driving! Gave it a coat of paint and it’s been as reliable and inexpensive to run as any 40 year old Torino. It’s a hoot to drive, gets a lot of attention and it looks good from any angle. My sweetie can’t reach the pedals though. Ah well, more driving for me.
I’ve always thought Panteras were OK, but the color, the light and, particularly, the angles of the shots make the car gorgeous.
Joe D – You were taken by your mechanic! There’s no reason for all the problems you experienced, except that the name Joe Zych means nothing in Pantera circles – so clearly NOT “THE” Cen. Fla. guy for Panteras he duped you into thinking he was. Too bad too. You would have enjoyed your car much more. Good luck finding a Corvair that meets your needs!
Have to side with you, Garth. I have a DeTomaso Mangusta, which had a reputation as being even more prone to overheating than the later Pantera. After going through the cooling system and being careful to bleed air from time to time, the car has never run over 195 degrees in the ten years I’ve owned it. It’s probably the most reliable exotic I’ve owned. (Perhaps I should be finding some wood to knock on.)
JOE D. I would never excuse anyone for being honest, but thanks for asking.
It is a sad tale of woe you needed to share.
From all of my experience and knowledge of 78 automotive years,
it did not have to be.
Every item you mentioned could be corrected by the right people, which you
clearly did not have access to.
I find it hard to blame the car, which had no choice in the matter:)
Al
I currently own a ‘72 and love it. It is my second Pantera. Between the fantastic club, helpful owners and superb vendors, ownership is very rewarding. I hope to keep mine forever.
Scott Black is too m odest to say he is a PR man for Carroll Shelby. He also owns an AC Mk. IV, a car that is quasi-classic, Shelby dis-wning them but they were made in England, have aluminum bodies and were sold new with Ford V8s! It would be interesting to hear which one fullfills his sports car thrill quote best? I agree, the Pantera Clubs, (PI and POCA) helped Americans sort out the cars, the vendor sin the US came up with the parts Ford wouldn’t and that’s why a great number of Panteras are still on the road compared to the “thoroughbred” foreign cars of the era like the Maserati Bora . Ford wanted to bring it out at a lower price than the foreign exotics so they didn’t put on it what it needed–it had to be the private owners putting that stuff on to make the car “right.”