By Tim Odell
When we first stumbled across the Hemipanter via Spinelli’s Save the Enzos, we thought “sweet, a hemi-powered Pantera”. How mistaken we were. First off, that Hemi’s been bumped out to (this is not a typo) 526c.i.. Secondly…crap. Every time I go to look over this guy’s website, I get sucked in for another five minutes of reading.
Goran Malmberg didn’t just shoehorn a fuel-injected Hemi into a Pantera. He started with a Pantera and built his version of the ultimate sports car. The suspension’s completely new, complete with engineering diagrams. The chassis is braced to end up at a torsional stiffness on-par with modern CF-chassis supercars. You’d think the all-steel Pantera with an iron block hemi would be a bit of a porker. Nope: 2600lbs, dripping wet.
The mix of mediocre english, late 90s web-design and over-the-top engineering expertise has me back in Vitali Nesterenko‘s MAE 130c: Vibrations. He’s actually got tons of great automotive engineering lessons mixed in with his explanations of why he built the car the way he did.
We’re taking this opportunity to put out a call for a new word. We need a word to describe the likes of Goran Malmberg, Jay Eitel and Ken Imhoff: guys who go beyond just building a custom and actually engineer a car of their own creation. Maybe it’s two new words: one of the car and one for the builder. The point being, “custom” just doesn’t cut it. Help us out here.
Meanwhile, you should check out hemipanter.se. You might also consider buying a copy of Goran Malmberg’s book on building race cars. The dude obviously knows his stuff.
Jeff Glucker 
Antti Kautonen
At first I was going to scream bloody murder for shoehorning a Hemi into a Panthera.
But after some reading…I guess he is forgiven.
Heck, I'll go so far as to bow down to the man!
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ariel Ferreira, Hooniverse. Hooniverse said: From the Hooniverse:: Hemipanter Might Give the Basement Lambo a Run for its Money http://bit.ly/8pmfkG […]
"My, what long intake runners you have. All the better to maximize your harmonics, my dear."
best caption ever
Is the engine mounted off-center? Insanity! Insanity I tell ya!
For the sake of my productivity at work I am going to avoid that website until tonight. As far as a word, I'd go with autovirtuoso.
Pantera owners are unique in making major modifications with seeming impunity. You wouldn't typically see a Ferrari 308 GTB owner dropping in a Lexus 3.5L six or adding scoops and hoops, but for the De Tomaso, it's more rare to come across an unmolested car. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and the Pantera we used to have in the family had benefited from an Edelbrock manifold and holly 650, among other mods. I just think that, with Pantera prices now scratching the door of forty gees point of entry, it's a good opportunity to buy up all the OEM and NOS parts you can, because sometime in the next ten years, these things are going to to start being worth some real money.
Not surprisingly, the Pantera is about the only mid-engined car I'd seriously consider buying: steel, (usually) Ford-powered, and just unloved enough that no one will fault you for rigging up enough electric fans to actually keep the thing cool.
Ha, ha- the fans. Had to put a diode in the line because the fans spinning would provide enough juice to keep the engine loping over for a few minutes after you had turned it off. Damn, that car was fast.
Hah, we had the same issue with the fans the solar car I worked on. The fans were on the same 12V circuit as the relay on the main battery; when we added more fans for greater cooling, suddenly we couldn't shut the car off. Good times.
2600 pounds! That is astounding.
The word that come to my mind about these dudes is that they are inventing and engineering their cars. Inventineering? Inventineers? Yeah, your right, that is no good.
I don't know, I rather like "inventineer"
Can someone suggest a more badass vehicle for $35k than this:
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/1525061744…
Seriously, Tauri cost more…
I hate inland empire craigslist! There are soooooo many cool cars to be found in need of restoration with waaaaay too high asking prices, but so much do want factor!
Actually, for a clean Pantera with those mods that probably isn't a bad price. Not a bargain, for sure, but not a total ripoff, either.
I wonder how much he would want for the original 351? That could push it into ripoff territory.
I wasn't talking about the Pantera in general, but just that section of craigslist. There are alot of cars that have been essentially abandoned in the Inland Empire that people are now trying to sell. Of course they all ran when parked! lol
There was one for sale for $19k. Had over 100k miles on it and either a rebuilt or swapped motor. Seems to be gone now.
If nothing more…it's worth the cash just for having "High Flow Sucker Fans" on it.
He sure does know his stuff and looks like Mel Gibson's brother if Mel Gibson had a brother who is a genius "awesomecar" builder.
that is damn impressive.
Profoundineering.
Polymath + hoon = Polyhoon?
No. Definitely not. How about Car God?
I love the Pantera…I would own one in a heartbeat. I have never really liked the body kits that many people have put onto them, but to each their own. This one, however, is all kinds of WIN…no matter what it looks like!
the man cut his own tires! My God, he's knows his stuff.
How about:
Hoongineer?
Braingineer?
Whatever. All I know is that I'm not worthy enough to carry this guy's wrench.
I need this car. It gives me funny feelings in my pants. It's like a lightning bolt hit the tip of my penis.
As for these men, they should be dubbed carchitects, or cartistes. Their cars, maybe artomobiles?
Goran, is our resident genius. How much, how fast, how real, how would it sound? I like that. How , when you step in to hemipanter everything is in tune and sync..