This is a 1985 Custom Panther that was obviously designed and conceived by a crazy person who enjoyed cartoons because how else in the world would someone dream this up? The thing literally looks like it leaped off the screen of the Wacky Races show and into real life. There are a triumvirate of Chevy 350 engines in the nose of this car with the front and back engines powered the car and the middle serving to work as a piece of the cooling system. On the design front, of the more impressive elements are the beautiful fenders that look to be about 13 miles long, starting with their gentle curve and flowing all the back to the rear wheel wells of the car. Yes, the dimensions are completely nuts but that is one part of the cart that we enjoyed seeing.
We have no idea how it drives, if it is fast or whether the steering shaft, which is like eleven hundred feet long flexes like a piece of spaghetti or not. The cooling system has 44 quarts of capacity and a six inch thick radiator to keep the engines cool. Even if they are pretty mild, the 350s should make decent horsepower and torque so the car should get on down the road nicely enough. You can tell it is a product of the 1980s because of the wheels, that is for sure. Those wire jobs with their center spinners look right off the pages of a 1980s copy of Hot Rod!
The wheelbase is 158″ and the car is 19′ long end to end, the suspension is mostly Corvette stuff, the transmission is a Turbo 400, and the turning radius would rival that of any mid-size cruise ship. Freak show!
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE PHOTOS OF THIS 1985 CUSTOM PANTHER –
Wonder where it is today?
THREE Chevy engines?
That my friends is masochism of the highest order!
Apart form that this ride is awesome – the proportions work perfectly and the finish is superb – who would ever thought of customising a Panther?
The funny thing is is that Jaguar engines are always associated with Panther – 2 Jag V12s would have been mind-blowing….
sorry the middle engine is part of the cooling system????????????? what in holy hell does that mean?? I love it but I cant get past that statement…… please please explain!
It seems like the middle engine might be a “dummy”, but runs coolant through it anyway to help w/ heat rejection? Kind hard to figure out what the deal is, how that all is hooked up. The video is no help, but there is some nice detailing to see.
Only after I get rid of the Chevy motors and put Ford or Mopar engines in it.
I wonder if I should go with big blocks.
This must be the power of photos. my regular trucks wheelbase is 142 inches. This car is not that extreme at 158, but that is sits low, making it look long.
Is it so over the top , excessive and ridiculous to the point of being cool ?
Yeah … it is .
Would I be caught driving or riding in it though ?
Well … maybe .. to attend some over the top event / concert etc … once … maybe .
Otherwise Grandpa Munster can keep his new ride … I’ll take a pass
[ You’ve got to admit this thing’d of fit right into the ” Munster’s ” scheme of things ]
Heck, my Centurion is pretty much 19ft long too =P