De Tomaso Pantera. It’s possibly one of the best car names, right up there with Jensen Interceptor and Lancia Stratos.
Well, the Pantera looks about to be reborn. Sort of. As a different car. And a different name.
The Good Oil reported at the start of the year that dodgy ex-Lotus head honcho, the improbably named Dany Bahar, had announced his intention to build a carbon-fibre-tastic supercar reinterpretation of the Pantera through his new company, Ares Design.
News of this goal was greeted with about the same level of comprehension and belief as someone announcing Lotus would build “seven new models in seven years” [cough].
But the so-called “Project Panther” looks to have come to fruition. Well, in camouflage-taped test mule form at any rate.
Together with Ares Design’s technical director Matteo Vezzani, Bahar showed off the first example of the so-called Ares Panther outside the design house’s headquarters in Modena last week.
Okay, it’s actually a Lamborghini underneath, with a Lambo V10 in the engine bay. But those squared-off proportions do look 1970s under all that camouflaged paintwork. It even has pop-up headlights, so there looks to be a few nods to the era into which the original Pantera was born.
We just hope the driving position doesn’t require your feet to be pointing one way on the pedals, with your upper body contorted in almost the opposite direction. And for €515,000 ($819,500) we’d expect electric windows at the least.
Ares is only building a handful of Panthers to begin with, although Bahar claims the 2018-19 order book is already full. But then, he would say that, wouldn’t he?
Still, we’re looking forward to seeing the first examples appear ahead of collection by their moustachioed, medallion-wearing, open-shirted new owners.
Daniel Ricciardo’s future boss already writing poor performance report
It’s possibly not the best start to your new job when your soon-to-be boss suggests you’re probably not going to do overly well.
That’s what happened to Aussie F1 grin enthusiast, Daniel Ricciardo, this week, when Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul told media that the newly ex-Red Bull racer won’t be winning in a yellow car any time soon.
Ricciardo caused a bit of a sensation last week when he announced he was leaving Red Bull for a yellower hue, in the form of perennial mid-fielders Renault.
The announcement came as a bit of a shock, as it appears almost everyone expected him to replace the probably retiring Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari.
Ricciardo says, however, he’s excited to be heading to Renault. He’s probably also excited by all those millions of euros in his bank account, which would have been required to complete this particular French connection.
But putting something of a dampener on celebrations, in an interview with German media outlet Auto Motor und Sport, team boss Abiteboul said, “With Ricciardo, the big objective is to fight for the title in 2021 but we hope that he can start winning races in 2020. Daniel’s talent and charisma are a big bonus for us. We have to repay that trust by providing him with the best possible car.”
Er ... although just not right away, it would seem.
It’s all part of a longer strategy, says Abiteboul. Renault has been in a holding pattern for some time, bedding in new technologies, new engines and, now, a new driver. As an engine supplier too, Renault has a lot of skin on the circuit, which must give Ricciardo peace of mind.
Even John Lennon loved a boring Mercedes wagon
John Lennon’s car is up for auction. No, no, not his psychedelic Rolls-Royce. This ex-Lennon limo is much more suburban. But apparently it was no-less well loved.
After semi-retiring to stay-at-home-dad-dom after his mid-1970s move to New York and the birth of son, Sean, Lennon did what all fathers do at some point: he bought a practical family car.
Yes, the colourful Roller could have taken the baby buggy too, but imagine the gas bill, let alone the hassle of having to squeeze it into a Manhattan multi-storey car park near the Dakota Building.
The 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD is the last car Lennon owned. He doubled down on the suburban look by opting for a five-cylinder diesel capable of wheezing out a meagre 77hp.
Still, what it lacks in oomph it makes up for in load-lugging; one of its most important duties — allegedly — was hauling the master tapes for Lennon’s Double Fantasy album between recording studio and record company offices in the months before his death.
We’re huge fans of the W123-era Mercedes-Benz T-Wagens’ cars, which have shot up in value. Of course, with the pedigree on the ownership papers, let alone a relatively sympathetic respray and what looks to be a slight lowering of the springs, this particular family wagon will be well outside our price range.
Lennon’s Merc is for sale at RM Sotheby’s Auburn Auction on September 1.