Is this the New De Tomaso Pantera? Mystery Sports Car Caught Leaving the Italian Firm’s HQ

During the Geneva Motor Show presentation of the De Tomaso Deauville crossover earlier this year, the Italian automaker’s new CEO and the person responsible for bringing the brand back to life, Gian Mario Rossignolo, revealed that the company is planning to introduce a modern day successor to the Pantera sports car before the end of 2011.

Now, it appears that we have our first look at the 21st century Pantera thanks to a new video that made its way online. The footage shows a prototype sports car exiting the DeTomaso factory in Grugliasco, Italy. And even though the coupe is covered in black camouflage gear, the aggressive silhouette, together with the massive lateral air intakes and the intoxicating noise of the engine as the car accelerates let us know that we have something special here.

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Geneva 2011: De Tomaso Deauville Sincerely Flatters BMW's 5 GT [with Video]

De Tomaso's return in Geneva makes me ask two questions: 1) Why do companies think cars like this, the recent Lagonda, and Spyker D12 are necessary?, and 2) Who's buying them? According to the Italian company, they've already got a 1,500 unit backlog.

The production ready Deauville concept (previously known by its SLC and later SLS codenames), revives the name De Tomaso placed on its 1970's attempt at a luxury sedan; sadly, instead of an attractive Ghia saloon, this time around the Italian marque decided to emulate BMW's GT and create a Pininfarina-penned crossover.

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De Tomaso Shows More of its New SLS Crossover, Confirms Production for 2011

One of the surprises at this year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show is the resurrection of the De Tomaso brand, which will re-launch with a production ready concept model, set to go on sale in late 2011. The Italian company filed for bankruptcy in 2004, but was brought back to life after Rossignolo former Fiat executive, Gianmario Rossignolo, acquired the brand from a Modena bankruptcy court in November 2009.

The Italian brand's first vehicle was initially codenamed SLC for Sport Luxury Crossover, but in the latest press release, De Tomaso is calling it the SLS, which stands for Sport Luxury Sedan. We know what you're thinking in regards to Mercedes-Benz's Gullwing-door supercar, but De Tomaso was quick to state the vehicle will not be sold as the SLS, with the final production name to be revealed during the Geneve press conference on March 1.

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VIDEO: De Tomaso Resurrected with BMW 5-GT-esque SLC Crossover Concept

We have to admit that, upon learning about former Fiat marketing executive Gian Mario Rossignolo's plans to re-launch the De Tomaso brand with the Pininfarina-penned SLC crossover concept at the upcoming Geneva Show, we were curious to see what the famous Italian design house would come up with.

But our hopes of seeing something truly exciting were thwarted by this here video, which was filmed during a special presentation event held in Rome. No offense to VW Group's Spanish subsidiary, but the SLC crossover looks like a BMW 5-Series GT made by...SEAT.

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De Tomaso Lives! Italian Brand to Re-Launch in Geneva with a Premium Crossover Concept

Just like Pagani, De Tomaso is another Italy-based sports car manufacturer founded by an Argentinean, more exactly by former racing driver Alejandro De Tomaso. Known for its quirky models of the 1960s and 1970s like the Pantera, the company eventually went under the radar and ended up filing for bankruptcy in 2004.

Fortunately, it was bought five years later by ex-Fiat marketing executive and Lancia CEO Gian Mario Rossignolo, who decided to revive the iconic brand. Now, it seems that the Italian businessman’s efforts have come to fruition, as the revitalized automaker is planning to unveil a Pininfarina-designed premium crossover concept at the Geneva Motor Show.

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