quote:Originally posted by David_Nunn:
Gary Hall had a Pantera he called "Big Red". It had a power, retractable sunroof from an '80's 911. Gary Spratling's Pantera has a removable roof panel but I don't know what it's from (Don Byars will). It looks like a Porsche 924/944 roof panel to me. A sunroof installation would not require reinforcing the chassis, like a targa top installation does.
I recall hearing Pavesi added 400 lbs of chassis reinforcement when building the factory targa top GT5-S and Si Panteras.
I had asked Gary about the sun roof in Big Red and he said it started in a Porsche. Everything about it had to be altered to make it fit.
I don't know if it is a metal panel or glass panel. I never saw big red in person.
I went investigating Porsches. The original Porsche unit, as I recall, was only 8 to 10 inches wide.
The Pantera roof structure isn't big enough to take it in stock form if you want it to slide back into the roof.
I personally always thought that it would work if it fliped up and slid back like some of the current aftermarket roofs do, and might work aerodynamically?
Yes. Purple Passion is the Hall Targa car. Gary said even with all the reinforcing the car still rattled and he would never do another one.
There were a couple of original GT40s that were converted to targas way back. 1965 ish.
The judgement on them was that loosing the roof structure compromised them too much handling wise since the intent of their use was to put them constantly on the ragged edge.
As I recall it was Miles who tested them and rendered that opinion.
I think that there were originally two GT40's that had "their roof cut off" and at least one was returned to a coupe. I think one still survives as a roadster.
There is a big similarity between the tub of the GT40 and the Pantera. The roof is part of the structural integrity of the chassis.