Hidden for 24 years, a DeTomaso Pantera comes back to life

Barn find aficionados enjoy discovering cars wherever they lie hidden, but nothing moves them quite like the reveal of classic preserved by time and neglect despite its surroundings. Here's one that fits the template to a T: the unearthing of an exotic Italian sports car from a semi trailer left to rust — and the revival of a car that hasn't been driven in 24 years.

Those of us from a certain era will remember the De Tomaso Pantera of the 1970s as the once-affordable alternative to the Lamborghinis and Ferraris of the time. Built with Italian style and a Ford 351 V-8 engine good for roughly 330 hp, and sold at Lincoln-Mercury dealers, the Pantera was just exotic enough to attract attention without the overhead mechanical costs of its peers. (Among its celebrity owners: Elvis Presley.) Today, the Pantera has a healthy following among collectors and nostalgia buffs; auction prices have grown to $60,000 for near-perfect examples with their classic wheels intact.