The Panther Lazer was an open roadster

sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...

produced by the UK's

Panther Westwinds Panther Westwinds (commonly known as Panther) was a manufacturer of niche sports cars and luxury cars, based in Surrey, England between 1972 and 1990. History Founded in 1972 by Robert Jankel, the Panther company initially manufactured retro-s ...

company in 1974. Only one was ever sold. The Canadian importer for Panther wanted Robert Jankel to build a unique

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

as a surprise present for his wife. The car was to take its engine, manual gearbox, independent suspension and braking system from the

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

XJ12, although somewhere along the way, a 4.2-litre 6-cylinder engine was substituted for the V12, along with a J72-sourced rear axle. It was an odd 3-seat vehicle with a contemporary

grand tourer A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving with performance and luxury. The most common format is a Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with ...

body. The car's wedgy aluminium bodywork housed a three-abreast passenger compartment, with centrally mounted instruments being housed in a prominent binnacle that was angled towards the driver. The OTT rear wing gave the car something of a "

Wacky Races ''Wacky Races'' is a media franchise containing five animated series, several video games, and a comic book, with most centered on the theme of various Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters primarily engaged in auto racing (although occasionally employ ...

" appearance, although in overall terms, the car's design was quite respectable, featuring energy absorbing bodywork with box-section crumple zones. Although a visionary example of automotive design, the woman for whom it had been built rejected this gift from her husband. Delivered in August 1974, the car was promptly returned to Panther's UK premises, where it languished for a couple of years before being sold to the

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, as he was still a teenager. It is now located at the

National Car Museum of Iran The National Car Museum of Iran ( ''Muze Melli Xodrou Irân'') is a museum in Karaj, Iran, opened in 2001. Displayed at the museum are classic cars owned by the last Shah of the Pahlavi Dynasty, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Mohammad Reza Shah. In additi ...

References

{{Panther Westwinds Lazer Roadsters 1970s cars