Some pictures of a custom Pantera under construction at PI Motorsports. Some of the features are a Lambo style front, targa roof, and Shelby GT 500 tail lights. Lots of other cool details. I really like the wheels.
Cheers,
Wade
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You have to wonder what they are doing to the chassi for stiffening after cutting the top off? The dilema with this was recently discussed in another post.
Steve
Steve
What a shame...
The flares are nice, and the rear end isn't too bad, the targa idea is novel (if you like targas), but that Lambo nose has got to go! Talk about an identity crisis!
I would think the owner could have bought a Lambo for what he'll have into this car before it's done.
The flares are nice, and the rear end isn't too bad, the targa idea is novel (if you like targas), but that Lambo nose has got to go! Talk about an identity crisis!
I would think the owner could have bought a Lambo for what he'll have into this car before it's done.
They have made custom sill plates to stiffen the chassis.
Takes butchering a Pantera to a new level.
quote:Takes butchering a Pantera to a new level.
It looks like quality craftsmanship is going into those modifications, it's just that they're in very poor taste. Now here's butchery! A Pantera roadster - looks like a home DIY'er job.
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Mixed feelings on this one but.... it is great to see the Pantera still drawing interest and having work on this level still performed on it. Still though, this or a 5S... my choice is clear.
I think it's funny that they go to such great lengths to change the car into something other than what it is, then prominently display a nice big custom DeTomaso logo so there's no doubt what it is! 
Ouch. One word for it...
Panterror.
Panterror.
Just came from POCA event, where I saw a Pantera with a Ford GT front and rear end. Again, good craftmanship as far as I could see (didn't want to look too close), but you have to wonder WHY?!
In my only trip to PI Motors, they were busy welding a series of 1/4" wires to a Pre-L in order to turn it into an Audi R8 look-alike.
It was a horrific Frankenstein-like abomination of our classic car. I literally threw up in my mouth ...
Awful
It was a horrific Frankenstein-like abomination of our classic car. I literally threw up in my mouth ...
Awful
Is our beloved Pantera becoming the cheap exotic that is treated bad?
Earlier it was the E-type that was the cheap exotic. I remember movies from the 70s and beyond, a Colombo show, Herbie, Convoy,several others, as soon as you saw an E-type (which I loved back then) you knew it was going to be wrecked. It was the half price exotic sportscar that the film producers could afford to wreck. In Herbie there's a scene where Herbie gets jealous of (IIRC) a red Ferrari, and next scene Herbie has smashed the car by running into it from all sides. But it was obviously an E-type that had been wrecked, not a Ferrari.
I know Panteras are not wrecked for fun, but they're clearly the starting point for many odd projects, that I doubt a Lambo or a Ferrari would be. To each his own, money talks etc., but I've never seen such a project and thought it was better than Tom Tjaarda's idea...
To me it's simple:
Earlier it was the E-type that was the cheap exotic. I remember movies from the 70s and beyond, a Colombo show, Herbie, Convoy,several others, as soon as you saw an E-type (which I loved back then) you knew it was going to be wrecked. It was the half price exotic sportscar that the film producers could afford to wreck. In Herbie there's a scene where Herbie gets jealous of (IIRC) a red Ferrari, and next scene Herbie has smashed the car by running into it from all sides. But it was obviously an E-type that had been wrecked, not a Ferrari.
I know Panteras are not wrecked for fun, but they're clearly the starting point for many odd projects, that I doubt a Lambo or a Ferrari would be. To each his own, money talks etc., but I've never seen such a project and thought it was better than Tom Tjaarda's idea...
To me it's simple:
- If you want a Ford GT, buy a Ford GT
If you want a Shelby, buy a Shelby
If you want a Lambo, buy a Lambo
If you want an Audi R8, buy an Audi R8
UGH!
quote:To me it's simple:
If you want a Ford GT, buy a Ford GT
If you want a Shelby, buy a Shelby
If you want a Lambo, buy a Lambo
If you want an Audi R8, buy an Audi R8
Amen! Just because you can, doesn't mean you should...
Not a total loss
I agree that the lambo lines on the nose does not do the car justice. I think something good could come from the pointier hood and reworking the nose from there.
I like the side scoops on the rockers and the wide body mods.
Don't shoot me, but I actually like the Shelby tail lights. I would loose the Isis logo and the bumpers. Smooth out the tail and I like the exhaust screens but probably work them a little higher into the tail of the car.
Everybody has their own "line in the sand". I have never felt bad about cutting into a rusty or wrecked car and doing what ever mods I wanted. If the car is clean, for me, that is a guilt that is hard to shake. Still feel bad about a 65 Corvair that I cut into when I was 18.
I agree that the lambo lines on the nose does not do the car justice. I think something good could come from the pointier hood and reworking the nose from there.
I like the side scoops on the rockers and the wide body mods.
Don't shoot me, but I actually like the Shelby tail lights. I would loose the Isis logo and the bumpers. Smooth out the tail and I like the exhaust screens but probably work them a little higher into the tail of the car.
Everybody has their own "line in the sand". I have never felt bad about cutting into a rusty or wrecked car and doing what ever mods I wanted. If the car is clean, for me, that is a guilt that is hard to shake. Still feel bad about a 65 Corvair that I cut into when I was 18.
I think the styling lesson is, "The further you deviate from what the factory did the more you open yourself up to criticism".
I agree!!
Keep us posted, I wanna see it finished. I thought I was bad putting Accord skirts on 1362
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quote:Originally posted by lastpushbutton:
Accord skirts on 1362
Picture please.
Steve
I just see all of those welds that need to be ground down and know some of them will hole thorough and need to be done again.
This car is a mountain of work to finish.
A targa is a nice car but it requires a lot of chassis modification that this car does not have.
I actually like the rear tailights but then again I have a 67 GT500 so what would you expect?
I could do without the front modification.
The original lines of the Pantera are so pure and clean that it is very difficult to do anything to the car that is a plus.
As refered to in the "Ultimate Cars" book, it is an ulimate all by itself. Leave it alone.
As far as the current Ford GT's go, it is unique car all unto itself.
Making a Pantera into a Ford GT look alike makes no sense.
These people who are so inclined would be better off with a Fiberfab kit.
I still say the problem is that people get these cars too cheaply. That seems to give people a license to butcher them up like a victim of a 15 year old with a JC Whitney catalog? Where's the bobble head poodle in the window and the fuzzy dice?
This car is a mountain of work to finish.
A targa is a nice car but it requires a lot of chassis modification that this car does not have.
I actually like the rear tailights but then again I have a 67 GT500 so what would you expect?
I could do without the front modification.
The original lines of the Pantera are so pure and clean that it is very difficult to do anything to the car that is a plus.
As refered to in the "Ultimate Cars" book, it is an ulimate all by itself. Leave it alone.
As far as the current Ford GT's go, it is unique car all unto itself.
Making a Pantera into a Ford GT look alike makes no sense.
These people who are so inclined would be better off with a Fiberfab kit.
I still say the problem is that people get these cars too cheaply. That seems to give people a license to butcher them up like a victim of a 15 year old with a JC Whitney catalog? Where's the bobble head poodle in the window and the fuzzy dice?
quote:some of them will hole thorough
Hope not. I'm not an expert welder, but if you make welds that are holes when the too high part is cut off, you should be doing something else. Regardless of the shape of this project, I'm sure PI has good welders doing the job...
I'm not an expert welder by any stretch but I believe one of the reasons why the weld is so high is due to a lack of heat. When doing sheet metal and panel work you want the least amount of heat as possible. As you can see each tack weld is done individually and separately, again to reduce the heat generated. IMO the welds look fine in the place they are.
As for trying to make an already great looking car look like another is beyond me. However it is that "pushing the envelope" that has bought about great advances in the world in general so I guess I will just look on in disbelief.
As for trying to make an already great looking car look like another is beyond me. However it is that "pushing the envelope" that has bought about great advances in the world in general so I guess I will just look on in disbelief.
I love custom jobs on all kinds of cars, but yes deviating too much can start to look odd. For instance I am looking at converting an MBZ SL56 into a black series car with the big fenders. And if you look on line for those conversions, there are various types of fender kits (some that stick to the true lines of the car and others that are way out there with gills, etc.). To me, deviating too much starts to look like a "cheap kit car" and I don't favor that look; however for others they love the more drastic modifications. Its to each his own, and fun to see opinions. Such things are like a piece of art on the wall, some gaze endlessly at the beauty and some run for the barf bag.
The only good thing i can see in the cutting up of our classic. is that by doing that, there will be less of them to go arounfd and eventually the price will rise due to their rearness.
well i live in hope anyway.
not that i'm in the market to sell with any luck that will be my wifes or daughters problem long after i am gone.
well i live in hope anyway.
not that i'm in the market to sell with any luck that will be my wifes or daughters problem long after i am gone.
quote:Originally posted by Lui:
Ouch. One word for it...Panterror.
Hey, Easy now!
I prefer the original, but.
You can never tell where something like this ends up. A friend of mine took several Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciali's (Not sure on the spelling.), and cut them up, lowered them, widened them, eventually lengthened them and raced them. He was pretty roundly criticized within the Alfa community for destroying somewhat rare cars, as he tells it.
Eventually, he just started making his own version, the Alfa Romeo SSZ Stradale. He sold them as roller kit cars for both road and track uses. Here's some info on them: Alfa Romeo SSZ
Just this past year, someone started making a knockoff, essentially a kit car of a kit car.
Ya just never know...
Edit: I should add a link to Tom's Motorama museum . He's got tons of cool stuff there: 1 of 2 1952 Alfa Disco Volante prototype cars, an uncut Devin body (maybe the last in the world), and Elvira @ approx. 2100# & 1000 hp (last car on the SSZ link) which Tom describes as 1/2 cool and sexy and 1/2 scary.
You can never tell where something like this ends up. A friend of mine took several Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciali's (Not sure on the spelling.), and cut them up, lowered them, widened them, eventually lengthened them and raced them. He was pretty roundly criticized within the Alfa community for destroying somewhat rare cars, as he tells it.
Eventually, he just started making his own version, the Alfa Romeo SSZ Stradale. He sold them as roller kit cars for both road and track uses. Here's some info on them: Alfa Romeo SSZ
Just this past year, someone started making a knockoff, essentially a kit car of a kit car.
Ya just never know...
Edit: I should add a link to Tom's Motorama museum . He's got tons of cool stuff there: 1 of 2 1952 Alfa Disco Volante prototype cars, an uncut Devin body (maybe the last in the world), and Elvira @ approx. 2100# & 1000 hp (last car on the SSZ link) which Tom describes as 1/2 cool and sexy and 1/2 scary.
In my book it's fine that some people customize the cars, lower, wider, modern lights, maybe some louvers etc. etc. But to try to make a Pantera look like another brand car is just... IMHO
quote:Originally posted by Panterror:quote:Originally posted by Lui:
Ouch. One word for it...Panterror.
Hey, Easy now!
My humblest apologies. Just pure coincidence I assure you
LOL
The problem I see with many deeply modified cars (im talking about all custom cars not just the Pantera) many of the owners think that they have design talent when if fact they couldnt tastefully design their way out of a paper bag. It takes many years of experience and a deep study in proportions to get extensive body modifications to be right. A guy like Chip Foose for example didnt just wake up one day and decide to design cars. The vendor working on this car i'm sure is just following orders of the owner. Neither seem to have any design talent as far as I can see.
Needs a hood scoop with a big chicken decal on it too, no?
...and if it had a t-top, you could wear your Burt Reyonlds cowboy hat with it? Yee-ha!
Go Bandit!
...and if it had a t-top, you could wear your Burt Reyonlds cowboy hat with it? Yee-ha!
Go Bandit!