Classic: Panther De Ville
Posted on 11-07-2015 to 18:00 by larssb – 20 Comments”
Imagine: you are wearing like poederpruiken and a maillot. You dubbed your apartment in the zeeheldenbuurt constantly as Château de Versailles, and you take your phone with “Louis-Dieudonné”. That can, of course, we have no opinion on. But which car do you drive then? There was an idea: a Panther De Ville.
Will live in them is also an option, because he is just as big and about the same worth as your apartment. Today, at least, in the years that he built was, from 1974 to 1985, he was even for a while, the most expensive production car available in the UK. In those 11 years built by Panther Westwinds Ltd there are only 60, with the hand of course. Designer and manufacturer Robert Jankel was clearly not really hot for modest midsegmentertjes with a high trutfactor. He spent 2 years for The Ville all of the outstanding J72 on the market and came later with the crazy Panther Six, in addition to the slightly less buitennissige Lima and Kallista. And none of those models were ever available in a John Calvin, Limited Edition Series.
On a self-designed tube frame with Jaguar XJ subframes placed a Panther a with the hand-crafted aluminium bodywork. 46 again, this was a four-door fixed head, 2 times one fixed head, 11 times a one-drop head and once even a zesdeurs limousine. Jankel and his men were loyal customers of BLMC, because the doors were the same as that of an Austin/Morris 1800. The rest fortunately not, so’n The Ville was subcutaneous actually a Jaguar. A djèèèèggh, as a piece of mob asked.
That knew you as blasé nouveau-riche by the way also just because the order asked if you have a 6 or a 12 cylinder to violence from Coventry in the wild. Both came from the brand with the cat, like all instruments, knobs, levers, and the largest part of the furniture. Also most of the subcutaneous technique, such as the transmission, the differential and the electronics came from the warehouses of the Jaguar. With the accompanying spicy price tag still attached. This was built in Surrey, this unique bombastobiel for the rather extrovert clientele. Elton John had picked out his glasses, and according to the rumors brought Kenny Rogers Dolly Partons it at home. That was not on.
The whisper-quiet 5,3 litre V12, not at all, so silently did his work. Also, the 4.2-litre six-cylinder in-line was not very difficult, for racing you could do with it, and if someone is petty bourgeois to his power to accelerate early, it was typical British answer: it’s there. Are De Dion rear axle, independent wheel suspension and all around large disc brakes made a game of rude planks, not impossible, but a wheelbase of more than 3.6 m and the aerodynamics of a diligence that did this clearly does.
A huge luxury coach, that’s for sure. In the best British tradition were most of the surfaces are richly equipped with Connolly leather and the rest of wood, in cherry or walnut. Or a different type because for the decor and decoration of The Ville golden actually no restrictions. The particular lines, you could already practically does not disturb, unless you have 2 big Smeg refrigerators on the running boards, left mount. And even that is still better than that zelfgeslierte aftermarket LED festoons of now, loensend on a mature car.
That baroque lines were inspired by the grotesque, Duesenberg models, and the almost alien Bugatti Royale from the 20’s and 30’s of the last century. The Panther also had a vierspaaks vintage steering wheel, just like Victor Muller’s paintings decades later in his Spykers would mount. Maybe Spyker be saved as they also, Austin doors were fitted, by the way… No, we go astray. But not to Saab, Jankel just continued his shopping to do on a Jaguar without the awesome ‘ tent to want to take. Wise. There was one exception to that Jaguar roots: Cruella’s Panther De Ville, in the film 101 Dalmatians had an American V8 in the huge nose. In ‘Murcia is very much fake.
Just as you lavish Louis-XIV-hairstyle and stadskasteeltje, to the brim packed with kringlooprococo. Everyone knows immediately who you are with this unique and pompous tin beast: what it is, that I am. And, of course, right in front of your porch, 2 parking spaces spread out, based on your droit divin to park there. Nondeju.
Gallery: Panther De Ville classic
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