quote:Originally posted by george pence:
I've driven my Pantera in very heavy rain. The wipers performed a commendable job keeping the windshield clear. The trick to prevent the windows from fogging up on the inside when you're running the defrost or heater, is to run the air conditioning at the same time. Its much easier to control the heat adjustment of the early cars when the a/c is running, by the way. The big fat Dunlop tires on back never gave a hint of hydro-planing either.
Good luck everyone, and thanks for your never say die attitudes. Reminds me of the old school attitudes Pantera owners had 30 years ago.
Have a great time, my thoughts are with you.
cowboy from hell
Hear, hear.
Panteras are better to drive than ordinary cars; but when the weather gets crappy, they are MUCH, MUCH better than ordinary cars. I always felt that I appreciated my Pantera the most when the conditions were bad.
For example: In January 1976 I drove my Pantera across the Rockies from Penticton, BC to Edmonton, Alberta via Banff in the dead of winter. It was dark; the snow was deep; the road was mostly compact snow; the original Arrivas were on their last legs (yep, no snow tires); there wasn't much traffic. I did the 600 miles in about 12 hours, and it was a pleasurable drive. My best time in the summer for the same trip was about 11 hours (lots more traffic).
As for the windshield being self-clearing at speed, my experience was different. I once drove from Red Deer to Calgary in 40 minutes in the wee hours (that's 80 miles; statute of limitations is over, right?). I was limited to about 90mph for the first 10 or 15 minutes because the wipers would lift off the glass and fail to clear the rain; I made up the 120mph average on the latter part of the trip.
I didn't baby the car; to me, it was meant to be used. But that was then, this is now. My next one will get treated much more preciously.
Cheers,
Marcus