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Panther Westwinds (commonly known as Panther) was a manufacturer of niche sports cars and luxury cars, based in Surrey, England between 1972 and 1990.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2014) |
Panther Westwinds (commonly known as Panther) was a manufacturer of niche sports cars and luxury cars, based in Surrey, England between 1972 and 1990.
Founded in 1972 by Robert Jankel, the Panther company initially manufactured retro-styled cars based on the mechanical components of standard production cars from other manufacturers.
The Panther Lima bodyshell was manufactured from fibreglass by Industrial Marine Fibreglass (IMF), who were based on the Milber Industrial Estate, Newton Abbot, Devon. Other examples of cars manufactured by Panther included 1975's Rio: based on the Triumph Dolomite, but appointed to "Rolls-Royce standards" – the cost of which was equivalent to three Dolomites. Another model was the three-axled Panther 6, of which only two were manufactured.
During the late 1970s, the company was engaged in developing a hovercraft using a pair of Honda Gold Wing 1000cc motorcycle engines; one for the lift fan and one for the directional thrust fan. This was developed in some secrecy at the home of one of the directors of the company in a barn in Surrey, with technical help at one point from a specialist race mechanic working for a Honda dealership in South London. Progress and development stopped when the company collapsed. The present location, or even existence, of the vehicle is unknown.
The Panther Westwinds company collapsed in 1980 and was purchased by Young Chull Kim. Production of the J72, De Ville and Lima restarted in 1981. In 1982, Young Kim's Jindo Corporation in South Korea constructed the steel chassis platform and aluminium body for a car with Ford mechanics, to replace the Vauxhall-based Lima. Production of the new two-seater to be called Kallista began at Canada Road, Byfleet, Surrey in February 1983. Production transferred to a second factory within the Brooklands racetrack in January 1984 and continued there until April 1988. In July 1987, Jindo sold their interest in the Panther Car Company to SsangYong. Another Panther car factory was opened at Harlow, Essex in February 1988 for the new Kallista convertible, and production commenced there while continuing at Brooklands.
Later, development of the brand new original Panther Solo, a modern sports car commenced in 1983 at Canada Road. A re-design of the Solo changed it from a rear drive two-seater into a four-wheel drive two-plus-two. In the spring of 1990 SsangYong announced the end of the Kallista production at Harlow, followed in the autumn by their announcement that production of the Solo would also stop. SsangYong transferred the stock of parts to South Korea where they developed a glass reinforced plastic body for the Kallista, to be mounted on a chassis modified to increase interior width by 4 cm. The project was not a success although a number of wide body new 1990s Kallista models were sold in mainland Europe. SsangYong suffered financial difficulties and in 1999 their motor division was absorbed into Daewoo.
In 2001, Jankel bought the Panther name back from Korean ownership. He was finalising a new sports car design when he died in 2005. His son Andrew described it as an "unfinished symphony". Production was intended to have taken place in the United States. [1]
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The Panther Solo is a mid-engined sports car that was made by the British company Panther Car Company. It was available as a two-seat coupé, with the option of additional rear seats to make it a 2+2. SsangYong Motor Company, which had become the owner of Panther Westwinds, made a concept car called the SsangYong Solo 3 as a tribute to the original Solo and Solo 2, as well as a racing version called the SsangYong Solo Le Mans, a rebadged WR LM94.
The Panther Lima was a retro-styled roadster of the 1970s built by Panther Westwinds. It used Vauxhall Viva and Magnum mechanicals, including that car's 2.3 L (2279 cc) engine. The later Mark II model used a purpose-built chassis. The body was built of fibreglass in a roadster style reminiscent of an Allard or Morgan. The fibreglass bodies were manufactured by Industrial Marine Fibreglass based in Newton Abbot, Devon. By the standards of small scale manufacturers, the Lima was produced in volume, with over 500 built by the time of the introduction of the Lima Turbo in February 1979.
The Panther Kallista is an automobile produced by Panther Westwinds from 1982 to 1990. It replaced the Lima as Panther's volume model for the 1980s.
The Panther Rio was a motor car made by British manufacturer Panther Westwinds, using Triumph Dolomite mechanicals. According to the company, it differed from the family saloon-class Dolomite, in being finished to "Rolls-Royce standards". Only 38 were built between 1975 and 1977. A rarer Rio Especial used the high-performance Triumph Dolomite Sprint as its basis.
The J.72 was an ultra-exclusive luxury roadster, the first production vehicle of the Panther Westwinds company. Styled to evoke the Jaguar SS100 and sold from 1972 to 1981, it used mechanicals from the Jaguar XJ, including its 5.3 L V12 engine. It was also offered with Jaguar's 3.8 L and 4.2 L XK engines.
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Robert Jankel was a British designer of limousines, armoured cars, and other speciality vehicles. He also founded the automotive company Panther Westwinds.
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C200 may refer to:
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The Jankel group of companies were founded by founder Robert Jankel starting in 1955. In its early years, Jankel provided specialist design and manufacturing services to improve the performance of rally and racing cars. By 1970 Jankel had established Panther Westwinds and was manufacturing production sport cars and coach-built touring limousines for VIP customers. Jankel then diversified into coachwork for the likes of Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Mercedes-Benz, specialising in armoured, Head of State vehicles. In 1997 Jankel branched out into producing vehicles for the UK MoD and Police.
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