Restyles with substance

Panther Westwinds blended a passion for pre-war designs with modern-era mechanical usability and remarkably fine coachbuilding

- SIMON HUCKNALL

Form over function: it is - or, at least, it ought to be - anathema to any self-respecting vehicle designer. Form should follow function, most would agree. And we're not just talking about the most obvious exemplars, such as the Mini or Volkswagen Beetle. It also extends to Rolls-Royces and Ferraris, whose expansive dimensions and rakish profiles have been born mainly from a need for superior accommodation or ultimate top speed. The fact that they are so easy on the eye is, by and large, coincidental.

But for Robert 'Bob' Jankel, founder of Panther Westwinds, the form of each of his designs was their reason for being. He tipped on its head the righteous 'form follows function' mantra, and turned the creation of a range of memorable neoclassic models in the 1970s and '80s into an art form, one that successfully captured the outer edges of a niche but highly discerning market. The Panthers gathered on these pages, representing all of the Robert Jankel-conceived models, are a testament to one man's swim against the tide of convention.

Born in 1938, Jankel was brought up in the East End of London. His father, Alexander, ran a wholesale clothing business, and there was an assumption that Bob would join its ranks when he was old enough. But at the age of 16 he built an Austin Seven Special, which fired his passion and led him to an automotive engineering course at Chelsea College.

Jankel was also a keen amateur racer, and, through an early association with Essex-based tuning firm Superspeed, he briefly campaigned a Ford Anglia 105E at club events. But after meeting his future wife, Jennifer Loss daughter of musician Joe Loss-racing came to an abrupt end. According to his son, Andrew, Jankel was "told pretty clearly that if he was about to marry Joe's daughter, then he had to put away his crash helmet".