Pantera Trivia: The World's Fastest Pantera

I'm amazed at the lack of aerodynamic tricks. It just looks like a stock body with maybe a little sheet metal added to the sides of the front valance. Other than the "down in front" stance, and hood air ducts, I don't see much else.
I've always heard that the Pantera gets unstable above 160 mph...that aerodynamics of the design are a limiting factor. This sure seems to refute that notion.
Any technical info on the engine and ZF gearing?
Great effort. Hope the salt didn't melt the car before it got home!

Mooso

Wow ..thats always been a dream of mine to go to bonneville and run my car. I thought some where i read that the aerodynamic's of a Pantera were excellent ? I can tell you from experience that at 260 kmph = 160mph my Pantera was shockingly very stable. I did run out of horsepower to propel me any further.

Awsome Kjell ..awsome.

Ron

quote:

Originally posted by mooso:
I've always heard that the Pantera gets unstable above 160 mph...that aerodynamics of the design are a limiting factor. This sure seems to refute that notion.

Kjell says he has measured the car with instrumentation at 200 mph and there was no lift at that speed.

quote:

Originally posted by mooso:
Any technical info on the engine and ZF gearing?

509 cubic inch Keith Black all aluminum motor, Brodix heads & intake, dry sump oil system, 700+ BHP, 3.43:1 final gearing, car weighed 2550 pounds. The record was set in 2003.

They said when the AMC AMX/3 was tested it was so bad it was trying to fly at 100!

I go my car up over 150 (although I think the speedometer was optimistic) and it felt like I was going 50mph, but much louder. Totally stable, tracked straight. My car has 550 hp and a higher final gear. I am constantly impressed with the performance from my 35 year old car. :-)

- Robert

...That is the Gentleman who was quoted as saying; "Nose lift in the Pantera at High Speeds is a Myth!", just after He finished proving it!...

...Also, Notice the Huge Tires in the Rear and Tiny Tires in front! The entire front of the Machine is 'Downforce'. And NO flairs, NO wing, Those would have been Too Much Drag, never getting up to speed. The Wheel Covers Made all the difference. But! The More the downward angle of the Nose; The More the Windshield, itself, becomes Vertical!...

Look haw far back the hood vents are, indicating the front trunk has been modified with removal of the front wall. I have always believed this is a big improvement over the usual hood ducts and shape of the std front trunk that tends to force air back under the front of the car creating lift at speeds where the std size hood ducts become a constraint to air flow.