Dutch-American car designer Tom Tjaarda

In an earlier post, I wrote about the beautiful and early exotic car, the De Tomaso Pantera, designed by Tom Tjaarda (under Ghia Marcello Gandini). The son of the Dutch-American auto designer Joop Tjaarda van Stakenburg (1897-1962), who renamed himself John Tjaarda on coming to the US in 1923, Tom lived with his mom in Detroit where graduated from the University of Michigan. He studied engineering and specialized in car design, like his father.

Tom Tjaarda designed or contributed to numerous cars. In my opinion, his most famous projects are listed below:

Chevrolet Corvette Rondine (1963):
The second generation (C2) sported a very elegant shape of which various cues were later found on the fiat 124 spider. One of the most striking novelties of the new Corvette were the reverse rotational flip up headlights, which would remain a Corvette feature until the C6 was introduced in 2004.

Ferrari 365 GT California (1966-1972)
This was Ferrari's large FR layout grand tourer and 2+2. Although often overshadowed by the 365 GT "Daytona", the California came with an evolutionary body by Pininfarina, whom Tjaarda worked for. The body and trim were actually fitted at Pinifarina's Grugliasco plant, after which the chassis were returned to Ferrari for fitment of mechanical components.

Fiat 124 Spider Pininfarina (1966-1985)
The 2+2 convertible sports car was designed by Tjaarda at Pininfarina and sported elements of his earlier designs, such as the Corvette Rondine and Ferrari 275 GTS. The monocoque-bodied car was build and marketed by Pinifarina itself from 1983 to 1985. I had one in high school and it's body's styling always attracted lots of attention.

De Tomaso Pantera (197-1991)
For the pantera, Tjaarda worked under Ghia Marcello Gandini. The sports car featured a steel monocoque design, a first for the manufacturer based in Modena, Italy. The car featured many exotic standard features for European standards, such as electric windows and A/C. The coupe was powered by a Ford 351 Cleveland V8. To me this is one of the most under-rated early exotic cars.

Lamborghini Diablo (interior)
In 1987, Chrysler bought Lamborghini and as it provided the money to complete the Diablo's development, it requested some of its original design to be re-done in Detroit. As such, Tjaarda worked on its interior, which came better equipped that the Countach's. It even had as an option a custom-molded driver's seat.


Tom Tjaarda was also involved in the design of the Chrysler LeBaron, Aston Martin Lagonda Coupe, Spyker GT Sport and Shelby Series 2, but to a lesser degree than the previous ones. For his full range of car design work, click here.

Thanks for reading.

Source: Wikipedia.
Photo credit: ultimatecarpage.com, dupontregistry.com, mclellansautomotive.com, autorightwheel.com, piximus.net

Cool Pantera

One early exotic car that often gets overlooked is the De Tomaso Pantera (1971-1991). This car is in my opinion just as sexy as the Lamborghinis or Ferrari's of its time. Designed by American auto designer from Dutch origin, Tom Tjaarda, it featured a steel monocoque design and was powered by the new Ford 351- 4 bolt main Cleveland engine.

Later models, such as the GT5, had bonded and riveted wheel-arch extensions which created a distinctive wide-body look. The rear tires were considered beasts at the time, I believe second only to the Countach's.


a 1972 De Tomaso Pantera

The fact that the Pantera's sales lagged behind projections must have caused some kind of liquidity problems. This combined with poor manufacturing customs back then meant that the cars were poorly constructed. Rust-proofing was minimal on the early cars, while the quality of fit and finish was poor.

The late Paul Wederfoort imported a stunning red De Tomaso Pantera to be used for the 1985 Curaçao Grand Prix. Though details about the performance of the pace car were not kept, I do remember as a teenager always looking into the main showroom of the R.E. Yrausquin & Sons where the red Pantera was kept. I wonder where it is now.

Thanks for reading.

Photo credit: piximus.net