Triumph? Panther, never heard of it! Saw one.

[datman]

Just spotted this a few miles from where I live. Thought some of you might like to see it as I have never even seen one before so they must be rare or something.

[autohausdolby]

Argh! Those wheels are terrible! Interesting though

[trigger]

It's a Panther Rio, Based on a Dolomite, Rememebr reading about one before on the Dolomite forum, Pretty rare I think.

www.mytriumphdolomite.info/guest/77_rio/

Edit - That one is one of the 7 made Especials based on the Sprint according to the link above and DVLA .

The vehicle details for TTM 314 are:

Date of Liability 01 12 1997
Date of First Registration 30 05 1977
Year of Manufacture 1977
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 1998CC
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type Petrol
Export Marker Not Applicable
Vehicle Status Unlicensed
Vehicle Colour MAROON

[trigger]

From www.aronline.co.uk/index.htm?pantherriof.htm.

"In February 1976, £9445 was the price for the Rio Especial, which was quite simply over the top - in comparison, a Dolomite Sprint cost £3283 and the Jaguar XJ5.3 cost £7496."

No wonder they never made many!

[PhilA]

Just looks plain wrong on the front.

First impressions are Rolls-Royce Camargue, but aren't those mk1 Granada headlights?

--Phil

[will]

Good spot

Ain't seen one before either, but can't say I feel any the worse for it , like the color though.

[tonycocacola]

I'm not sure whether i like it or not.

[DavidB]

I like it only as a curio. It's typical Britishly wrong looking though.

[datman]

I agree its almost made to look like several cars photoshopped together. I bet its something they would have wanted to forget ever building. The bloke I was seeing about another car says the guy is planning on restoring the Panther.

[devilishdesigner]

I've heard of these somewhere, intended as a rolls owners shopping cart car/fuel crisis 2nd car I think.

[richy]

Indeed they were ^^^^^ And some of us are old enough to have seen them at the Earls' Court Motor Show (and did)!

[xbo11ox]

Hey thats right up my street that, I guess its not for sale?

[akku]

they rule. They belong to the "so wrong its right" classification.

[popuptoaster]

Polished Sprint alloys look good.

[escortmad79]

Oct 25, 2009 23:12:53 GMT autohausdolby said:

Argh! Those wheels are terrible! Interesting though

Would look good banded

[Peperami]

not doing it for me

[steadyg2002]

Those wheels are Triumph 1300/1500 FWD.

[XJR 40]

It won't even have enough lock to turn around on an airfield with those wheels on there; they're off the FWD version of the 1500, the car whose engine was chiefly useful for weighing down dead people before shoving them overboard from a small boat, late at night.
REAL Dolomites have a bigger engine than is necessary in a 900Kg motor and RWD with wheels that have at least some offset.

I've seen a Rio "In the flesh", it had air conditioning but the people who built the thing placed the aircon gubbins across in front of the radiator, not known for being great at keeping the standard car cool, much less one with aluminium panels tacked over the ragged remains of the steel ones and a weight of some 1100Kg.
First impression, OK, second impression after thinking that surely its owner would give me his electric windows and that extra-shiny dash, was that the Rio would benefit considerably by being chopped.......
































into several small, manageable sections so that the ali could be taken to the scrap dealers' premises in the back of a small estate car.

[retrowagen1234]

i was ready to join the que of people saying its mank.... but.... i think after seing the black one on the link that with a change of wheels and possibly colour it looks quite cool... defo different at least

[justanotherhigh]

I'm thinking it falls into the same category as the Vanden Plas 1300 and Allegro... because it's such a daft idea, it actually works.
;D