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Panteras are NOT Italian Muscle Cars
Author: Mike Drew (more...)
Panteras are Italian muscle cars.
Although this is a popular characterization, I have always objected to
it, for it is more than a little bit demeaning.
Muscle Cars, by definition, are those front-engined, V-8 powered
monsters conjured up by Detroit starting in the early 1960's and
ending in the early 1970's. They were known for awesome horsepower,
coupled with terrible suspension, nonexistant brakes, feeble tires,
cheesy interiors, and questionable fit and finish.
Muscle cars are fun, but they are also horribly crude and
unsophisticated. The Pantera, on the other hand, is an extremely
sophisticated design, truly cutting-edge for its day. Mid-engine
design, four wheel independent suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and
a truly striking body design position the Pantera a million light
years away from a Pontiac GTO or a Plymouth Barracuda!
No, the Pantera is REALLY a low-production Italian exotic car, able to
compete with contemporary Ferraris and Maseratis (and totally demolish
the period Porsche 911), but powered by Ford, giving them wholly
different torque characteristics. Granted, they were built to a
price, and thus are lacking some of the interior niceties of their
Italian bretheren, but in all other respects they are equal to their
contemporaries (I'm talking 246 Dino, 308 GT4 Ferrari, and Maserati
Merak/Bora).
Mike Drew
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