On Six Wheels, This 200-MPH, Triple-Axle Panther 6 Was A 1970s Madness

Today, we'd like to tell you about a 200-mph, six-wheeled Panther 6 convertible. As a quick recap, Panther Westwinds did that in 1977. The company rose to prominence in the early 1970s British bespoke car scene with the J72, a pricey sports car based on the mechanicals of the current Jaguar XJ sedan but designed to resemble Jaguar's 1930s SS100 two-seater.

Following that came the Panther De Ville sedan, which was inspired by the pre-war Bugatti Royale limousine, as well as the Lima, a smaller 1930s-style sports vehicle. The Panther Rio, a botched attempt to make Triumph's Dolomite sedan into a mini Bentley, was another example.

You could think the Panther 6 was inspired by the beast from the 1960s sci-fi puppet show Thunderbirds when you see it. Jankel, on the other hand, never claimed that the Thunderbirds' Fab 1 was the source of the 6. Instead, it was influenced by the P34, an experimental six-wheeled single-seat racer that Tyrrell was running in Formula 1 at the time.

Panther 6 has four small front wheels and two small rear wheels, just like the P34. Unlike Panther's other cars, the engine was situated behind the front seats on this one. That engine began life as an 8.2-liter Cadillac V8, the type that could only produce 190 hp because of emissions restrictions. 

However, when de-smogged and twin-turbocharged for the 6, it produced a claimed 600 horsepower and allegedly clocked 200 mph (322 km/h). The 6 was extravagant in every way. In 1977, Panther 6 was £39,995 (£254k/$348k now). It had a truck's air conditioning system to keep buyers who could afford it cool even while the top was down, as well as two telephones, one in each armrest, and a screen in the dash.

Panther claimed to have accepted orders for eight cars when speaking to reporters at the 1977 London Motorfair, but only two were produced before the business went bankrupt. Jankel shifted his focus to his own coachbuilding company, where he built a successful career designing unique project cars for companies like Bentley and Rolls-Royce before they took those operations in-house. 

Although he died in 2005, the Jankel Group is still active, providing heavily armored vehicles to military forces and security services all around the globe. The original right-hand-drive exhibition car is thought to be in the Middle East, while the second car, shown here in white, was salvaged from near-destruction in the 2000s and repaired.