- 1,098
- United States
Cool Wall: 1989-1990 Panther Solo 2
- Thread starter Snikle
- 11 comments
- 1,744 views
- 1,098
- United States
I first found out about this car from an old (Well, like 2004) book called "world's worst cars." Not the most flattering introduction of course, but the car was in the "financial failures" section, rather than one of the sections that would reflect worse on the car. (There were beautiful, great cars in that section as well. Think Bugatti Royale and BMW 507)
The car is kind of ugly though. It certainly doesn't have supercar performance, but it could be a rare, head-turning MR2 alternative, with 4WD to boot. It's very neat, but I don't know about cool. I'm going with uncool for this one.
The car is kind of ugly though. It certainly doesn't have supercar performance, but it could be a rare, head-turning MR2 alternative, with 4WD to boot. It's very neat, but I don't know about cool. I'm going with uncool for this one.
- 2,901
- Columbus, Ohio
I want to say Cool because the idea of a fiberglass bodied, AWD car with a mid mounted turbo I4 was a solid one, and had they pulled it off it would have been pretty damn impressive for an '80s car. But they only got 12 of them out the door before the creditors pulled the plug on the whole operation, and said examples are pretty underdeveloped and apparently not that pleasant to drive because the cost and production problems both spiraled out of control.
Also, its look is from that weird transition period where car design wan't quite ready to let go of the wedge shape, and tried rounding off the corners with a belt sander to make it more "modern". It's right up there with skinny ties and suit jackets with shoulderpads in the list of painfully outdated '80s style.
Still, at least some working examples actually got built and sold, which is better than a lot of projects like this manage to achieve. Meh for being an interesting footnote in automotive history.
Also, its look is from that weird transition period where car design wan't quite ready to let go of the wedge shape, and tried rounding off the corners with a belt sander to make it more "modern". It's right up there with skinny ties and suit jackets with shoulderpads in the list of painfully outdated '80s style.
Still, at least some working examples actually got built and sold, which is better than a lot of projects like this manage to achieve. Meh for being an interesting footnote in automotive history.
- 26,781
- Houston, Texas, USA
- JMarine25
One thing I try not to do is praise things for being different. As I always say, "different doesn't always mean better." For the sake of being different, this Panther Solo 2 would be considered "Cool." Looking at it kind of suggests "uncool." I think this car looks like a badly-built kit car. I doubt you're going to get any cool points owning or driving this thing. However, this car is not plain and boring. These things notwithstanding, my final call on this one is Uncool.
- 22,551
- Arizona
- HamiltonMP427
- 1,098
- United States
Because it has the engine of a Ford Sierra in a car that weighs even more than the Ford Sierra? An MR2 Turbo from the same time has pretty similar specs (about 200 hp from a 2.0 mid-mounted I4, 1250 kg), which is why I mentioned it. I guess if you consider an MR2 to have supercar performance then this car does too. Its certainly sports car performance, I'll give it that. I'm sure its fun to drive, but not as super as its looks may try and lead one to believe.
And its whatever, if someone disagrees over my own definitions of cool or supercar or what have you. I'm not an arbiter of cars, don't take my opinion super seriously just cause I run this place
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- 415
- New Zealand
I've always had a soft spot for the Solo 2. There was some clever engineering going on, with its super rigid construction and impressive aerodynamic performance. A contemporary review art the time said it was the best handling car they had ever driven. In the flesh, I thought it looked quite good. It does, as others have said, suffer from too little power, a lack of development and build quality issues. I think I'm still going to go cool because a young me really wanted one.
- 40,753
Sidestepping someone trying to take someone else to task for the crime of saying a car slower than a contemporary Mitsubishi Eclipse doesn't have supercar performance...
They could have made it look like whatever they wanted. So why did they make it look like that? The proportions are absurd from virtually every angle. It's like someone took some post-Megatech Vector design and left it in the sun; and it's plainly a parts bin special even in comparison to something like the late 80s Esprit.
They could have made it look like whatever they wanted. So why did they make it look like that? The proportions are absurd from virtually every angle. It's like someone took some post-Megatech Vector design and left it in the sun; and it's plainly a parts bin special even in comparison to something like the late 80s Esprit.
- 22,551
- Arizona
- HamiltonMP427
Fair
I can respect your laid back answer 👍Because it has the engine of a Ford Sierra in a car that weighs even more than the Ford Sierra? An MR2 Turbo from the same time has pretty similar specs (about 200 hp from a 2.0 mid-mounted I4, 1250 kg), which is why I mentioned it. I guess if you consider an MR2 to have supercar performance then this car does too. Its certainly sports car performance, I'll give it that. I'm sure its fun to drive, but not as super as its looks may try and lead one to believe.
And its whatever, if someone disagrees over my own definitions of cool or supercar or what have you. I'm not an arbiter of cars, don't take my opinion super seriously just cause I run this place
- 114
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
Is it just me or does it look a lot like the 2nd generation Toyota MR2?
