Panther Solo 2

Press, 3 December 1987, Page 51

Panther Solo 2

Hang on to your hats! The car (pictured) is a British designed and built four-wheel-drive 240 km/h sports model that has just made its European debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

It is the technologically advanced Panther Solo 2, manufactured by the Panther Car Company in Weybridge, Surrey. Panther is owned by Young C. Kim,, the Korean-born chairman and chief executive, and the Solo 2 is the first series production car in the world to incorporate the latest material technology for its body shell and frontal impact protection energy management system. The composite technology follows that used in current Grand Prix racers and has been developed and adapted for series production for Panther by Cointec, the composite materials subsidiary of the March Group which builds Formula One racing cars. A composite sandwich

of epoxy-based resin, aluminium honeycomb and woven, reinforced fibreglass cloth provides massive strength with light weight Carbon fibre strengthening is incorporated in the screen pillar areas and Kevlar protects the wheel arches against stone damage. Aerospace technology is used to bond the roof section to the main body. The Solo 2 is powered by a 152 kW turbocharged and intercooled Ford Sierra Cosworth engine driving all four wheels by a transmission jointly developed by Panther, Ford and Ferguson. The car, which weighs 1100 kg, will accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 5.75. Anti-lock, all-disc brakes complement the exceptional levels of road-holding attributed to the four-wheel-drive chassis.

The two-plus-two seater cabin is in effect a central “survival cell.” It is equipped with a rollover hoop and side-intru-

sion beams and also has carbon-fibre windscreen pillars for roll-over strength. Wide doors give access to a roomy cockpit with rear seats large enough for growing children or occasional adult use, with room for a carrycot

All-round visibility is unusually good for a midengined car. The specifications include Recaro front seats, electric windows, central locking, electric door mirrors, heated front and rear screens, rear wash/ wipe, headlight washers, an audio unit and provision for a telephone. Other than electrically adjustable front seats, the only option is an ashtray and cigarette lighter unit. Although a smoker himself, Young Kim does not believe in encouraging others.

The Solo 2 will cost about $85,000, with only 100 units targeted for sales next year, although SOO are scheduled for production in 1989.