Last Call: The Ares Panther is cool but also not

Colby Buchanan

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I remember hearing about the Ares Panther awhile ago and it just came back up on my timeline. First of all, the DeTomaso Pantera is one of my favorite classic cars of all time so theoretically, I should love this thing. But I think the reason I don’t is that modern takes on classic cars just don’t really work. The ones that take some subtle cues look good but when its something like this where it even has pop up headlights it’s just too much. I appreciate what Ares is trying to do but it doesn’t look right. Sure its a good looking car but I doubt anyone would rather have one of these over a genuine Pantera.

Last Call indicates the end of Hooniverse’s broadcast day. It’s meant to be an open forum for anyone and anything. Thread jacking is not only accepted, it’s encouraged.

About

Colby Buchanan

Colby Buchanan

My name is Colby Buchanan and I love all things car-related all the way from rusted 240sx’s to McLaren Senna’s and of course I have a soft spot for American Muscle. You can spot me in my bone stock ’06 350z named MackenZ.

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22 responses to “Last Call: The Ares Panther is cool but also not”

  1. Maymar Avatar
    Maymar

    I like the design just fine, although they lost me at Danny Bahar, they lost me again at a Lamborghini engine (when there are plenty of good US V8s to work with, closer to the car’s heritage), and lost me a third time at half a million euros.

    That said, I would hope that for that price, if you don’t want pop-ups, they can meet that request.

    Reply
    1. Zentropy Avatar
      Zentropy

      I agree. The design is okay, but it doesn’t stray far from the original, and the ways in which it does are somewhat superfluous. The Lambo engine is what has me scratching my head– an American V8 seems much more appropriate. In fact, the flat-plane Voodoo V8 from the GT350 would have been perfect.

      The big problem is that this looks more like a very expensive restomod than a modern Italian supercar. And in that respect, I think Ringbrothers did it much better.

      https://hips.hearstapps.com/roa.h-cdn.co/assets/15/03/ring_adrnln_auction001.jpg

      Reply
      1. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        First time I see any of these, though I know the Panthera, of course. Imho the popup headlights are amazing – I am not even in doubt people would ask for that if they weren’t part of the design. The only thing that irks me on the exterior is the triangle window on the side, between door window and air intake. It messes up the design flow a bit. That’s much better done on your suggestion.

        In any case, if I had an unappropriated 500k$, and they needed spending, that would be broken up into a new Volvo V90, a 2000 Toyota Century GZ50, some house fixes that we’re ridiculously late on, and at least half a year spend travelling around the world once the pandemic is over. If people need to count what 500k can buy, like me, it’s hard to use it all up on one Italian car.

        Reply
      2. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        First time I see any of these, though I know the Panthera, of course. Imho the popup headlights are amazing – I am not even in doubt people would ask for that if they weren’t part of the design. The only thing that irks me on the exterior is the triangle window on the side, between door window and air intake. It messes up the design flow a bit. That’s much better done on your suggestion.

        In any case, if I had an unappropriated 500k$, and they needed spending, that would be broken up into a new Volvo V90, a 2000 Toyota Century GZ50, some house fixes that we’re ridiculously late on, and at least half a year spend travelling around the world once the pandemic is over. If people need to count what 500k can buy, like me, it’s hard to use it all up on one Italian car.

        Reply
      3. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        First time I see any of these, though I know the Panthera, of course. Imho the popup headlights are amazing – I am not even in doubt people would ask for that if they weren’t part of the design. The only thing that irks me on the exterior is the triangle window on the side, between door window and air intake. It messes up the design flow a bit. That’s much better done on your suggestion.

        In any case, if I had an unappropriated 500k$, and they needed spending, that would be broken up into a new Volvo V90, a 2000 Toyota Century GZ50, some house fixes that we’re ridiculously late on, and at least half a year spend travelling around the world once the pandemic is over. If people need to count what 500k can buy, like me, it’s hard to use it all up on one Italian car.

        Reply
        1. Zentropy Avatar
          Zentropy

          I generally dislike (or at best am neutral to) popup headlights. I look at them as a missed opportunity in expressive styling. Historically, the only examples I’ve really liked are on the Porsche 928 and 968, because even though they pop up, they aren’t ever hidden.

          Reply
          1. Sjalabais Avatar
            Sjalabais

            Interesting, I think of them most as an engineering opportunity. With popup lights, you can both design a car quite freely and present lighting that doesn’t fight basic physics and optics. As long as it works, the potential to do it well is huuuge.

      4. Wayne Moyer Avatar
        Wayne Moyer

        Right because one of the things that defined the Pantera and the others like it was Italian design and American power. So what is the point of this?

        Reply
        1. Vairship Avatar
          Vairship

          It’s being replaced by American design and Italian reliability. Can we maybe add British electrics and Russian craftsmanship to really finish it off?

          Reply
          1. Wayne Moyer Avatar
            Wayne Moyer

            So a modern TVR with seventies Lucas electronics? I’m good with this.

      5. salguod Avatar
        salguod

        The nose on that RB Pantera is terrible. The stance and wheels are perfect but the blunt nose, square hood vents and poorly integrated flush lights ruin it.

        I really appreciate their craftsmanship and execution but I’m typically disappointed by their aesthetic choices in the front of the car. This is one of the worst.

        Reply
        1. Zentropy Avatar
          Zentropy

          I agree that the nose is the weak link on this build, and despite my ambivalence to pop-up headlights, a Pantera doesn’t look quite right without them. I was really just trying to reference a restomod Pantera with better body lines from the windshield back— where I think this Ares really fails.

          Reply
  2. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    I think the number of people who know what a De Tomaso Pantera is is vanishingly small, so a lot of people who see this thing aren’t getting the reference, they just think it’s a good looking car. It’s kind of like a folk song; you don’t need a Master’s degree in ethnomusicology to appreciate The Animals’ version of “House Of The Rising Sun”. You certainly don’t want to be the guy (and it’s always a guy) who spends the whole song prattling on about Alan Lomax field recordings and shape-note singing.

    Reply
  3. GTXcellent Avatar
    GTXcellent

    I think the problem is those 30 series tires. I don’t have photoshop skillz to prove it, but I bet if there was some sidewall on those ‘meats’ it’d look a helluva lot better.

    Reply
  4. smalleyxb122 Avatar
    smalleyxb122

    With the Lambo engine, they should have leaned more toward the very similarly styled Uracco/Sihouette/Jalpa.

    I rather like the front 3/4. I think it references the Pantera without looking retro, and that is a hell of a trick.

    The back side is a mess.

    Reply
  5. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    Of course, the color’s all wrong.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7b512816a4f7b3918347c2d348321409a6a57fbbdfe30e4e563ebe3e0c95a839.jpg

    Reply
    1. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      You mean like this? (not the most famous pink Pantera) https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/89b6f02352a19675a75bcaca5a4f65766eb2deb266763c3d98e67bceb44dbab2.jpg

      Reply
    2. Zentropy Avatar
      Zentropy

      I have no dislike for pink in general, but it’s always the wrong color choice for a car.

      Reply
    3. 0A5599 Avatar
      0A5599

      That’s still the wrong color. The best Panthers are Metallic Pea.

      https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KCmt_74M80c/VosEI5MFhoI/AAAAAAAEEBk/DElUxzewRp0/s1600/Family-Truckster.jpg

      Reply
  6. salguod Avatar
    salguod

    The complex reflections make it hard to see what’s going on. Unfortunately, a cleaner photo doesn’t help. The mid section is ammess with thick doors and a busy, awkward greenhouse. The elegance of the original is traded for excessive curves and over styling.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c0b0b6b7f5a3ac1d9a291895fa26833153f1e31fae6977f7daf1a4c7434c15ab.jpg

    Reply
  7. crank_case Avatar
    crank_case

    Why on Earth would I want a tribute band version of DeTomasos old stuff when DeTomaso have got this now?
    https://st.automobilemag.com/uploads/sites/11/2019/07/De-Tomaso-P72-Goodwood-Front-Three-Quarters-2.jpg?interpolation=lanczos-none&fit=around%7C660:440

    Even a Daihatsu Charade Tomaso is cooler…

    https://drivetribe.imgix.net/FmsQOZmiQleGyIrIjwrENw?w=800&h=495&fm=webp&auto=compress&lossless=true&fit=crop&crop=faces&dpr=1

    Reply
  8. Lokki Avatar
    Lokki

    Xx

    Reply