Company overview
Panther Westwinds, commonly known as Panther, was a British car manufacturer operating from 1972 to 1990. Robert Jankel founded the company in 1972, initially building cars using components from other manufacturers. The Panther Lima was produced by Industrial Marine Fibreglass, and the company developed a hovercraft using Honda Gold Wing engines. Production of vehicles including the J.72, De Ville, and Lima restarted in 1981 after being purchased by Young Chull Kim. In 1983, production of the Kallista began at Canada Road, Surrey, and later moved to Brooklands racetrack. Jindo Corporation in South Korea constructed the steel chassis platform for Kallista, replacing previous Vauxhall-based Lima models. SsangYong acquired Panther’s interest in 1987, continuing production at Brooklands until April 1988 and then at Harlow, Essex. The Solo, a redesigned four-wheel drive model, was developed from 1983 and production ceased in 1990. Jankel regained the Panther name in 2001, finalizing a new sports car design before his death in 2005.
