Heart says a '70s supercar is the peak of wedge-shaped cool. Head (and possibly a degree of prejudice) says you’re entering a world of nightmarish mechanical fragility, inflated running costs and cars whose looks take precedence over daily realities of ergonomics, reliability or usability.

What if you could have all that exotic Italian style but powered by a simple, powerful and reliable Mustang V8? Well, you could! Ford’s failure to buy Ferrari famously gave us the GT40 and Le Mans success but it also gave us the De Tomaso Pantera. Exotic style, straightforward V8 muscle and a car intended to offer American buyers a Ferrari-rivalling supercar you could service at the local Ford dealership.