[DeTomaso] La Pantera Bianca coming out of retirement!

Julian Kift julian_kift at hotmail.com
Wed Feb 6 19:40:09 EST 2013


If I recall correctly it was a video that Charlie posted (3nd link below), but lots of info in the website or YouTube videos below;
 
http://www.go2hal.com/pantera/bio.html
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE3yVGtt1YU
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMjz_D3GVkc
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOS0_btUjfI
 
Julian
 

> From: MikeLDrew at aol.com
> Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2013 19:10:51 -0500
> To: detomaso at POCA.com
> Subject: [DeTomaso] La Pantera Bianca coming out of retirement!
> 
> Hi guys,
> 
> Just got this from Ross Jackson in Australia...this is undoubtedly the most 
> radically modifed race Pantera, ever!
> 
> Charlie McCall just sent me a photo of this car the other day, but I've 
> already trashed it after looking at it. Charlie, can you post it for all to 
> see?
> 
> Mike
> 
> ====
> 
> Larry Perkins to race 'La Pantera Bianca' at Phillip Island Just six
> weeks after selling his two V8 Supercar entitlements, Larry Perkins will
> return to the racetrack for his Historic Racing debut in the 2013
> Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport from March 8-10.
> The six-time Bathurst winner will be at the wheel of the spectacular and
> unique 'La Pantera Bianca' DeTomaso GT car built in the mid-1980s by
> noted Australian racing car designer Barry Lock and raced undefeated by
> Kevin Bartlett.
> The 900kg ground effects Pantera with its 383-cid mid-mounted Ford V8
> engine developing 612HP (456kW), will be amongst a full grid of exotic
> 'big banger' sports cars from around the world competing in the
> International Sportscar Challenge at the meeting.
> The field includes nine Lolas, eight McLarens, four Elfins, two Le Mans
> Matra-Simca MS670s, three Porsches and a 1966 Ford GT40, with 10
> entrants coming from the USA, seven from the UK, two from Germany and
> New Zealand and the rest from Australia The cars will take part in two
> rolling start sprint races on the Saturday of the Phillip Island Classic
> weekend and a 30-minute mini enduro as the feature event of the Sunday
> race program.
> While Perkins will be coming out of a decade of racing 'hibernation',
> the Pantera will be emerging from nearly 27 years in storage.
> In 1984. Paul Halstead's company, DeTomaso Australia, exported
> Australian-made 351 Cleveland V8s to Italy for the worldwide production
> of DeTomaso cars. As a result of the export credits earned, DeTomaso
> Australia was able to import the range of vehicles in knocked-down form
> at reduced duty.
> In 1985, Halstead ordered a lightweight body from the Italian factory as
> the basis of a car to run in the Australian GT Championship and designer
> Barry Lock (formerly of McLaren and the designer of the Australian
> Kaditcha sports cars) subsequently built a full 'ground effects' car
> using the world's best available technology.
> Called 'La Pantera Bianca, or 'White Panther' and standing just 96cm
> tall - even lower than the 100cm Ford GT40 - the Pantera in its first
> part-year of racing with twice Australian Drivers' Champion Kevin
> Bartlett at the wheel won every race it contested.
> 
> In its final GT championship race at Winton Victoria, Bartlett, in just
> his fourth start in the car, lapped the entire field of GT and sports
> cars!
> In 1987, as it was preparing to contest the full GT Championship, the
> regulations changed and rather than mutilate the car to meet the new
> restrictive rules, Halstead retired the Pantera undefeated After trying
> unsuccessfully to sell the car several years ago, Halstead instead
> decided to totally refurbish it and had Barry Lock complete an
> exhaustive restoration to its original 1980s specification.
> Larry Perkins recently gave the car its shakedown run on the
> newly-resurfaced Phillip Island circuit and despite his unfamiliarity
> with the car and its relatively cold tyres, lapped the circuit in under
> 1min 42sec. Halstead believes that at the 'Classic Perkins will be
> circulating closer to 1min 30sec.
> While under-playing his return to racing, Perkins said he was looking
> forward to driving the Pantera at the Phillip Island Classic Festival of
> Motorsport.
> "I'm helping a friend of mine out and having a drive," is how he put it
> in his typical 'Kimi Raikkonenesque' way. But Halstead's impression
> after Perkins' first drive was different.
> "He had a big smile," he said. "He's lost nothing during his 10-year
> Sabbatical and we'll see it all with Spades when he drives the car at
> the Classic!"
> The 24th annual Phillip Island Classic is being staged by the Victorian
> Historic Racing Register and is supported by Shannons, CoolDrive,
> Penrite and Bosch, with race officials supplied by the Victorian Mini
> Club.
> For more meeting details, visit www.vhrr.com<http://www.vhrr.com/> For
> media enquiries and publication quality images contact Michael Browning
> 0418 324 328
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