Resurrecting the dead is normally a pastime reserved for the Sainted. Bringing past automotive legends back to life requires almost divine powers as well, as does keeping them alive for more than a couple of years. Still, if there is one name that deserves to live again, it is that of de Tomaso.

Founded in Modena, Italy, in 1959 by Argentine-born Alejandro de Tomaso, the car company produced some of the most imaginative performance cars of their era. To this day, mention of the name Pantera is enough to glaze the eyes of strong men and make knowledgable women weep.

Former Fiat executive, Gian Mario Rossignolo, has taken on the salvation of the de Tomaso name and the return of the most anticipated sports car in several decades. In its original form, the Pantera was a two seat, mid-engine sports car, powered by a Ford 351 V8 engine running through a ZF transaxle.

Recently, a sharp-eyed Italian grabbed the video below, of a car leaving the Modena premises of Rossignolo’s de Tomaso operation. Be sure to turn up the sound when you run the clip. That’s not a Ford 351 providing motive force.

Logic suggests this is a Pantera prototype and, if the car is to be introduced at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, as many expect, then it could be something that is very close to final form. Still, this car sport a healthy dose of Ferarri lines, other than the multiple projector lights, so it could be little more than a powertrain mule.

After listening to the video, you’ll find even that possibility to be intriguing.