The Panther Rio is a

saloon car A sedan (American English) or saloon (British English) is a automobile, passenger car in a three-box styling, three-box configuration with separate compartments for an engine, passengers, and cargo. The first recorded use of ''sedan'' in refer ...

made by British manufacturer

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 ...

, based on the

Triumph Dolomite The Triumph Dolomite was a small saloon car produced by the Triumph Motor Company division of the British Leyland (BL) in Canley, Coventry, between October 1972 and August 1980. Background The Dolomite was the final addition to Triumph's smal ...

. According to the company, it differed from the family saloon-class Dolomite, in being finished to "

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

standards". Only 38 were built between 1975 and 1977, including the rarer Rio Especial variant, which was based on the high-performance Triumph Dolomite Sprint.

Background and concept

Fashion designer Robert Jankel founded Panther Westwinds to produce expensive and bespoke cars for the customer that wanted something entirely different. Such vehicles held a lucrative market at the time. Jankel began working on a car that would appeal to the Rolls-Royce owner looking to downsize to a more economical option without compromising on luxury or craftsmanship. Following the

1973 energy crisis In October 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) announced that it was implementing a total oil embargo against countries that had supported Israel at any point during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which began after E ...

, demand for cars with high fuel consumption began to diminish. The Triumph Dolomite was chosen as the foundation for this concept due to its combination of advanced engine technology and traditional upright driving position. These features offered a balance of modern performance and classic appeal. The resulting car, named the Panther Rio, was launched in September 1975. At launch, the car featured leather and

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

internal fittings, along with a hand-beaten

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

skin. The Rio was advertised as:

"Combining characteristics combined in no other single car – the very highest level of luxury, appointments and smooth quietness with superb handling, a maximum speed, 0–60 mph acceleration in 8.7 seconds, the opulence of
Connolly Leather Connolly Leather Limited was a British supplier of highly finished leather primarily to car manufacturers. Founded in 1878, it went out of business in that form in 2002. A successor firm, Connolly Brothers, UK, has resumed producing tradition ...
, deep pile carpeting and burr walnut in the finest limousine traditions with the fuel economy and manoeuvrability of a compact family saloon; Panther coachbuilt quality and safety engineering with total functionalism; hand-crafted exclusivity without ostentation."

Variants

The Rio was offered in two variants: a standard 1850 cc model and the Rio Especial, which featured a 2.0-litre 16-valve engine from the Dolomite Sprint. However, the Rio faced criticism for its reduced interior space, due to thicker seating that compromised cabin room compared to the original Dolomite.

Sales

Panther was optimistic about the Rio’s prospects and announced a pre-order of 100 units through

H.R. Owen H.R. Owen is a luxury motor retailer in Britain, and one of the world's largest retailers in Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Maserati, Lamborghini and Bugatti brands. The company is headquartered in London, and operates 18 sales fr ...

, a luxury line of dealerships. This would have meant a financial boon, clearing the way for the Rio to be offered for sale amongst some of the highest quality vehicles of the time. However, the order never materialized and sales remained sluggish, likely due to the high price and customer awareness of the car's Triumph Dolomite origins.

Pricing

The Rio's high price was an obstacle. In February 1976, the Rio Especial retailed at £9,445, which was significantly more than the £3,283 Triumph Dolomite Sprint. The car was even pricier than the

Jaguar XJ The Jaguar XJ is a series of mid-size/full-size luxury cars produced by British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Cars (becoming Jaguar Land Rover in 2013) from 1968 to 2019. It was produced across four basic platform generations (debuting in 1968 ...

5.3, which sold for £7,496 and was advertised with luxury to equal the Rio.

References

{{Panther Westwinds

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Fl ...

Luxury vehicles Sedans 1970s cars Cars introduced in 1975 1973 oil crisis