Panther 6
| Panther | |
|---|---|
| Image does not exist |
|
| 6th | |
| Production period: | 1977-1983 |
| Class : | Upper class |
| Body versions : | Cabriolet |
| Engines: |
Otto engine : 8.2 liters (442 kW) |
| Length: | 4877 mm |
| Width: | 2032 mm |
| Height: | 1219 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 2667 mm |
| Empty weight : | 1302 kg |
The Panther 6 was a street sports car from the British car manufacturer Panther , which was produced in two copies from 1977.
Development history
The Panther 6 was largely designed by himself in 1976 by Robert Jankel , the owner of the company. It was a two-seater convertible that had six wheels as the most striking feature . The car had two steered front axles with four small 205/40 VR13 tires on them, and a rear axle with two significantly larger tires. The vehicle took up the design concept of the Tyrrell P34 , which started with quite a stir in the Formula 1 World Championship from 1976 , and implemented it in the field of road vehicles.
The wheelbase from the second front axle to the rear axle is 2667. The vehicle is 4877 mm long, 2032 mm wide and 1219 mm high. The curb weight is specified as 1302 kg.
The vehicle was of a 8.2-liter, installed above the rear axle eight-cylinder engine - motor driven, the by Cadillac based and here with two turbochargers is provided. The factory stated the engine's output as 600 hp; the maximum speed should be 200 miles per hour (about 320 km / h). An automatic three-speed transmission from General Motors served as power transmission .
Other eye-catching design features were a front bumper painted in the vehicle color with wide recessed lighting units. The main headlights could be folded out . The car had a large panoramic window and sunken wipers . In the interior, two telephones were installed in the doors and there was a television in the dashboard .
The individual vehicles
A total of two copies of the Panther 6 were produced within eight years. Both were painted differently over the years.
The first vehicle was a right-hand drive, painted black . It had a full-length bench seat with three seats and had a steering wheel gearshift . The Panther 6 was presented to the public in 1977 at the London Motor Show in Earls Court and caused a sensation there. Its purchase price was quoted at £ 39,950 . The car was sold after the exhibition and changed hands several times. It stood in Paris for some time in the early 1980s and was also shown publicly there by its owner. In 2017, the vehicle reappeared at a car show in Saudi Arabia with a metallic blue-green effect paint.
The second vehicle was a left-hand drive with two individual seats and a center shift. Panther began building the second car in 1978; However, the company soon ran into economic difficulties and was initially unable to complete the car. The second 6 wasn't completed until Panther was already in bankruptcy administration. It was primarily used to raise additional funds for the company by selling the car. The car was sold for £ 150,000 in 1985. It changed hands several times and was for sale in Great Britain in 2010, now painted in white and black.
Importance of the automobile
The Panther 6 was primarily designed and built to attract the public's attention to the company. It is doubtful whether series production was planned. A major problem along the way were the small front tires that Pirelli had manufactured exclusively for this vehicle and whose production would have been very costly.
The press received the Panther 6 partly with admiration, partly with derision and occasionally asked about its usefulness. For example, the Australian newspaper Fast Lane , borrowing from the headline of a song by Chubby Checker , asked :
- "Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a joke? "
- (Is it a bird? Is it an airplane? Is it a joke?).
The Italian company Covini Engineering developed a similarly designed car with the Covini C6W in 2005.
literature
- Peter Vann, Dirk Maxeiner: The most beautiful cars in the world. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-87943-964-8 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Peter Vann, Dirk Maxeiner: The most beautiful automobiles in the world. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1989, p. 172.
- ↑ Illustration of the Panther 6 in Paris city traffic ( Memento from December 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ A familiar line in Checker's song The Twist reads: “Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it the twister ?. "
- ↑ Portfolio for the Panther 6 at www.kidston.com ( Memento from December 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
