The Panthermobile is a

show car A show car, sometimes called a dream car, is a custom-made 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 ...

built for the cartoon TV series ''

The Pink Panther Show ''The Pink Panther Show'' is a showcase of animated shorts produced by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng between 1969 and 1978, starring the animated Pink Panther character from the opening credits of the live-action films. The series was pr ...

''.News.com.au
(retrieved 15 January 2017)

Description

Called “the world’s most flamboyant vehicle”, the bright pink

custom car A custom car is a passenger automobile, vehicle that has been altered to engine tuning, improve its performance, change its aesthetics, or combine both. Some automotive enthusiasts in the United States want to push "styling and performance a st ...

was designed by Ed Newton and built in 1969 at Bob Reisner California Show Cars by Ed "Newt" Newton, Dan Woods, and customizers Joe Bailon, Bill "The Leadslinger" Hines, and Bill Honda.Carbodydesign
(retrieved 15 January 2017) It was used in the title and credit sequences of the original cartoon. It was one of several famous television show cars of the era in the US, including the 60s TV Batmobile, the

Monkeemobile The Monkeemobile is a modified Pontiac GTO that was designed and built by designer Dean Jeffries for The Monkees, a pop and rock musical band and television program. The car features a split two-piece windshield, a touring car convertible top, m ...

, and the

Munster Koach The Munster Koach is the family car that was used in the television series, ''The Munsters''. The show's producers contracted George Barris to provide the Koach. Barris paid show car designer Tom Daniel $200 to design the car, and had it built a ...

,Jalopnik
(retrieved 15 January 2017) and one of many radical contemporary custom cars, such as

Red Baron Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a sec ...

. The Panthermobile cost $100,000 to build in 1976, .

Specifications

Built on an

Oldsmobile Toronado The Oldsmobile Toronado is a personal luxury car manufactured and marketed by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors from 1966 to 1992 over four generations. The Toronado was noted for its transaxle version of GM's Turbo-Hydramatic transmissi ...

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of a manufactured object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

, it measured long and wide, with an exposed driving compartment requiring the driver to wear a helmet. In the cartoon's title sequence, the unknown driver pulls up to

Grauman's Chinese Theatre Grauman's Chinese Theatre, known as the Chinese colloquially and officially billed as TCL Chinese Theatre for sponsorship reasons, is a movie palace on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, Unite ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. After a quick edit, the driver removes his helmet presupposing the driver to be a teenage boy. Instead of rearview mirrors, the driver had a camera and black-and-white television monitor. The body is sheet metal. Behind the open cockpit was a compartment, accessed by a large clamshell door opening to the curb side, which contained pink

shag Shag or Shags may refer to: Animals * Shag or cormorant, a bird family ** European shag, a specific species of the shag or cormorant family ** Great cormorant another species of the family Persons * Shag (artist), stage name of the American a ...

-covered reclining seats, square-tufted upholstery, half a dozen ''faux''-fur pillows, a

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

, and a bar. The upholstery was done by Joe Perez. The seven liter Oldsmobile V8 engine, longitudinally mounted right behind the driver’s head, drove the front wheels. The car was a challenge to drive due to the long snout.

Ownership

For many years the car was owned by promoter Jay Ohrberg before being put up for auction in 2007. It was again put up for auction in 2011 where it was purchased and restored by Galpin Auto Sports in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, under the supervision of Dave Shuten. A complete restoration of the car's drivetrain, suspension, interior, and paint was required.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Panthermobile 1960s cars Visual arts media Automotive styling features Individual cars Oldsmobile vehicles The Pink Panther Show Fictional elements introduced in 1969