We all wish our jobs provided us with a car buying allowance perk. Company fleet cars are one thing, but actually being given free money to go out and buy something on your own is something else entirely. That's the situation Gary Corcoran found himself in back in 1983. As Petrolicious learned from him, Corcoran's company gave employees a $250 car allowance after three years of employment. Instead of buying a more family friendly car, Corcoran looked at Corvettes and even 246 Dinos.

And then he saw it: a 1972 De Tomaso Pantera, parked right there in the Ferrari dealership lot. He didn't know much about it at the time, but quickly learned it was everything he was looking for. With its Ford-built Cleveland V8 and ZF transmission combo, the powertrain is literally bulletproof.

Combined with that wedge-shaped Italian styling that was common at the time, the Pantera checked all the right boxes. The car he bought is the one he still owns and drives on weekends today. The mountain roads overlooking Los Angeles are his preferred destination. After garaging the Pantera for 20 years, it was finally given a full ground-up restoration. Despite some earlier thoughts of selling it, Corcoran is determined to keep his Pantera forever, and pass it down to his sons one day.