The Panther Lima was a retro-styled roadster of the 1970s built by

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 ...

. It used

Vauxhall Viva The Vauxhall Viva is a small family car that was produced by Vauxhall Motors, Vauxhall in a succession of three versions between 1963 and 1979. These were designated the HA, HB and HC series. The Viva was introduced a year after Vauxhall's fe ...

and Magnum mechanicals, including that car's 2.3 L (2279 cc) engine. The later Mark II model used a purpose-built chassis. The body was built of

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass c ...

in a roadster style reminiscent of an Allard or

Morgan Morgan may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment'', also called ''Morgan!'', a 1966 comedy film * ''Morgan'' (2012 film), an American drama * ''Morgan'' (2016 film), an American science fiction thriller * ...

. The fibreglass bodies were manufactured by Industrial Marine Fibreglass based in Newton Abbot, Devon. By the standards of small scale manufacturers, the Lima was produced in volume, with over 500 built by the time of the introduction of the Lima Turbo in February 1979. A four-speed manual was standard fitment, with an automatic transmission available as an option. The Turbo Lima was fitted with 14-inch alloy wheels, and had a TURBO graphic on the bonnet. The turbocharged version, with an engine developed in Southern California, had rather than the of the original and claimed a 0–100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration time of less than six seconds. Production lasted from 1976 to 1982, with 897 cars produced. It was replaced by the similar

Panther Kallista The Panther Kallista is an automobile produced by Panther Westwinds from 1982 to 1990. It replaced the Lima as Panther's volume model for the 1980s. Unlike the Vauxhall-based Lima, the Kallista used Ford mechanicals, including a range of engin ...

for the 1980s.

Sources and further reading

{{Panther Westwinds

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

Retro-style automobiles Roadsters 1980s cars Group 4 (racing) cars Cars introduced in 1976