In 1969 Bertone unveiled the Carabo concept car. It was wild, mounted on an Alfa Romeo Stradale 33 platform with a wedge body and a 1.9L V8 mounted mid-engine that drove the rear wheels. The doors were supposedly the inspiration for the doors on the Lamborghini Countach and the name, carabo, is a play on the Latin name of the Golden Ground Beetle, the inspiration for the car’s iridescent green-upon-orange color combination.
Somewhere between there and 1972, Sam Foose, Chip’s father, saw the Carabo and as the story goes, attempted to buy the car, and was probably shot down quickly. So he and his team built their own, out of the remains of a Pantera that met it’s fate at the bottom of a hill after the owner failed to set the emergency brake. There is no real certainty to how much Pantera is left, but the 351 and manual transaxle are present and accounted for. Everything else is a fabrication of the Carabo, with some custom touches added, like the open roadster top.
The Foose car has been for sale off-and-on since 2012, according to some quick research. The burgundy paint has worn very well and still looks stunning now as it did when it was applied. The same can be said of the burgundy leather interior. The turbine wheels look period-appropriate on a car that looks like the result of a three-way between an AMX/3, Ferrari Modulo and Aston Martin Lagonda. The 1970s wedge shape is certainly there, but looking at the car from the tail reminds us of the Dodge M4s (the “Wraith” car). And how it got street-legal is completely beyond us. Imagine trying to register this thing in California?
Whatever the case, the car still exists, is still drivable, and is for sale, though for how much is left up to the buyer’s imagination and the 78-year-old seller’s discretion. According to the listing, the car was built for $200,000. If that is in 1972 money, then that translates out to $1.14+ million dollars in today’s cash, and we’re willing to bet that’s close to the selling figure. We hope not, but face facts: a custom one-off like this doesn’t come around every day.
Craigslist Link: 1972 Sam Foose Custom
(Thanks to Johnathan Ward for the tip!)
If it’s still carrying the Pantera title then it’ll slide on by any DMV. Most folks wouldn’t even know the difference since this is a one-off and the Pantera was a major niche car.
What genius!
I actually had a poster of the Carabo on my wall when I was a kid –
and to see the result of one man’s determination to fulfill his dreams is amazing!
Mr Foose – I salute you!
I join previous comments – it\’s amazing! I\’m going to write my paper on these incredible cars, I\’m sure it will be posted at http://www.smartcustomwriting.com/ – they are my friends and often help me with my works. I share the link on this page in my social networks, people should watch it!