يحاول ذهب - حر
A SINGULAR VISION
October 2023
|Octane
One man was determined to create a groundbreaking British supercar but the Panther Solo II fell short of its ambitious target. Glen Waddington suggests it should be better remembered

MANY ARE THOSE who'll tell you that the 1990s were an era of me-too cars, that they all looked the same. Even Car magazine decried the situation, with a cover line on its July 1990 issue that asked 'Euro-car clones: who'll put a stop to dead-end design?' Yet it was also an era rich in oddities and stylistic and technological digression. How about the bike-engined LCC Rocket and Strathcarron SC-5A? De Tomaso's Guarà? Or perhaps the car you see here: the Panther Solo II. Only 12 were released on an unsuspecting public during 1990, but the headlines had proclaimed it a winner from first sight. 'Behind the wheel of the most important British sports car since the E-type Jaguar, declared Car. 'Britain's most exciting new sports car for 25 years,' hailed Autocar.
The Solo II lays claim to being the world's first mid-engined, four-wheel-drive production car. It also featured a unique and innovative composite monocoque of aluminium and epoxy resin, which combined enormous strength with light weight. Not only that, but its sleek design was honed in a Formula 1 wind tunnel until it generated downforce at both front and rear. Yet the car hadn't originally been intended to be quite so audacious (there's a clue in the 'II'): company owner Young Chul Kim had felt forced into taking a bold new direction little more than a year before it made its debut, somewhat hastily, in 1987.
هذه القصة من طبعة October 2023 من Octane.
اشترك في Magzter GOLD للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة، وأكثر من 9000 مجلة وصحيفة.
هل أنت مشترك بالفعل؟ تسجيل الدخول
المزيد من القصص من Octane

Octane
The Ralph Lauren F50
RM Sotheby's, Monterey, USA 15-16 August
1 min
August 2025

Octane
MG RV8
As a 'new' car the RV8 made little sense in the UK, but it's a different story today
2 mins
August 2025

Octane
Black and gold
ALTHOUGH IT'S OFTEN pigeonholed as a rally car, 'XOO' - the extreme Alan Mann Racing track-focused racing car - featured in our last issue proves that the Ford Escort Mk1 actually has a broad range of motorsport talents.
1 min
August 2025
Octane
HIDDEN TREASURES
Some of the world's rarest and most valuable cars have been uncovered in the unlikeliest places over the years. These are the greatest barn-finds
18 mins
August 2025

Octane
100 AND CUT
This special event celebrated 100 years since Invicta took to the road and track, bringing the cars together with members of the founding family
6 mins
August 2025

Octane
THE APPLIANCE OF SCIENCE
Take theoretical supercar perfection and let your Formula 1 engineers loose to hone it. The result? Honda's NSX-R
8 mins
August 2025

Octane
Schumacher's Monaco winner raises €15,980,000
RM Sotheby's leads May with Monaco F1 sale; Broad Arrow makes European debut
1 mins
August 2025

Octane
Charged atmosphere
Alpine electrifies Dieppe with 70th anniversary celebrations – and major future plans
4 mins
August 2025

Octane
WHeeLs on FIRe
Octane goes behind the scenes with Hot Wheels, at the launch of a Ferrari tie-up targeted directly at the collector market
4 mins
August 2025

Octane
1965 Alpine Allo
POA from Classic Motor Hub, Gloucestershire, UK
1 min
August 2025