Lot Ended
Description
In the current family ownership for 36 years; only 46,000 miles from
new; overdrive; stainless steel exhaust; always garaged; factory hard top
included; one of fewer than 900 made
Founded in
1972, Panther Westwinds was the brainchild of Bob Jankel who enthusiastically
produced a range of bespoke cars aimed at the smallest of niche
markets.
A Jaguar SS100 lookalike in the form
of the J72, a Bugatti Royale-style limousine called the De Ville and the Panther
Six which had more than the normal quota of wheels all left the Surrey works,
along with the ferociously expensive Rio, a lavishly equipped model based
on the humble Triumph Dolomite.
The most
commercially successful product was the Lima, an attractive traditionally styled
open two-seater using a bespoke chassis, fibreglass bodywork and Vauxhall
Viva/Magnum running gear. The 2.3 slant-four Magnum engine produced 108bhp and
was mated to four-speed manual transmission as standard, accelerating to 60mph
in just seven seconds with a top speed of 110mph.
If they gave awards
for bonnet length-to-cockpit ratio, the Lima would surely be in with a good
shout - it even makes a Jaguar E-Type look stumpy...
Not to be confused with a kit car, the Lima was factory-built to a
high standard and cost a hefty £8,250 in 1980, almost £1,000 more than a Morgan
Plus Eight. Only 897 examples were made before the Lima was replaced by the
Ford-powered Kallista in 1982.
This
particular Lima was first registered in October 1978 and has been in the current
family ownership since 1987. It has covered only 46,000 miles from new which is
backed up by 23 old MOTs back to 1987 when it had covered 33,700 miles. Always
kept garaged in the current ownership, it was repainted about 10 years ago with
a very nice two-tone paint finish, marred only by a small area where the paint
has lifted on the passenger side running board (see photos).
The four-speed gearbox has overdrive on 3rd and
4th, electrically operated by a chrome switch to the left of the
radio. Lumenition electronic ignition has also been fitted along with a
stainless steel exhaust system. It comes with a blue canvas soft top and a
factory hard top, both in good condition, plus a tonneau cover which shows signs
of rodent damage (see photos).
There are a few
invoices for routine upkeep but no real service history. Only for sale due to
lack of recent use, it has been in storage for the last five years but flew
through its MOT in February this year with no advisories recorded.
Starting promptly and running well as we have
moved it around on site, it could do with a good clean inside and would
doubtless benefit from a precautionary service/check-over before any long
journeys are undertaken.
For more
information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com