History of My Latest Pantera

Note: This was written by the prior owner and documents what happened before I got hold of the car, so the "I" below is the prior owner, not me.

I originally purchased this car THPNMR02791 from Bruce Sharp at Sharp's Supply in Mulliken MI in September of 1992. I know very little of the cars' early history except to say that it was a reasonably clean 60k mile white stock bodied car with dual wings and in decent enough mechanical condition to drive from Michigan to Colorado.

I bought the car with the intent of creating a Group V car and the car spent the next 16+ months, from October 1992 through March 1994, at Lawson's Paint and Body in Golden, CO. The car was completely gutted and stripped down to metal, most of this while on a car rotisserie. During this time all rust was cut out of the car and replaced with fresh metal. The two most troublesome areas were left rear frame rails and bulkhead and around the windshield. Steel reinforcements were added at the deck lid and rear end leaded joints.

The stock body has been converted to Group V look with the steel flair / ground effects parts from Hall Pantera. A number of "imperfections" were identified and fixed / improved in the stamped steel. The fiberglass chin spoiler was discarded and replaced with an integrated steel version. The Delta wing is removable. A factory windshield is flush mounted for aerodynamics and appearance. Custom and relocated front and rear deck-lid struts are used for increased reliability and access. Car has electronically adjustable side mirrors. Color is Ferrari Red (300), paint is Sikkens urethane base with three clear coats. Please feel free to contact Doug or Roger Lawson (303) 277-1242 for any paint/body/condition questions you might have.

While the Lawson's attended to bodywork issues, I worked on suspension and mechanical items. The suspension is now a fully adjustable (ride height and shock rates) Carrera coil-over shock absorber system with 450 lb and 600 lb springs front and rear, respectively, stiff but not harsh and similar to the GT5S from DeTomaso. The car has chrome 1" swaybars front and rear with machined aluminum caps. Brakes are Mark Williams Racing disk brakes with 4 piston calipers, again both front and rear, with stainless steel brake lines. Fully adjustable chrome-moly rear upper A-Arms are installed to simplify rear alignment and increase strength. Car has new polyurethane bushings all around and shimmed to increase caster in the front. Camber locks are installed to simplify and maintain front alignment. Wheels and tires are 10x17 with 275-45-17 Bridgestone RE71's in front and 13x17 with 335-35-17 RE71's in the rear.

Although the car was a driver, I had Dennis Quella from Pantera Performance inspect / repair / rebuild the ZF 5 speed. The ring gear bolts are safety wired. The rear uprights have been modified for double bearings and cross drilled for lubrication. Axles have been trued and chrome hardened. Heavy duty half-shafts and universals are all new (in 1994).

Interior is all black leather (seats / door panels /dash / console / bulkhead cover). Seat inserts and some door panel detail are in gray suede. Dash and console are both late model (for both looks and speedometer / tachometer visibility) and all gauges are VDO replacements for stock units. 3" lap and shoulder harness is now 4 years old. Car has Sony AM/FM/Cassette with 6 CD changer in front trunk.

Engine is a 351 Cleveland stroked to 390 cubic inches with a Crower forged steel crankshaft and 6" rods. Block is a standard bore heavy duty Australian 4 bolt main block. Compression is 11.5:1 with Ross forged pistons. Heads are SVO A3 aluminum from Ford Motorsports, both intake and exhaust have been ported and flow tested. Cam and valvetrain are all roller with integrated valvetrain stabilizer in Motorsport valve covers. Oiling system has single stage external pump (still wet sump, but eliminated bronze distributor drive) 10 quart aluminum pan with NASCAR remote cooler and filter. Electromotive crank trigger ignition and rev limiter. Induction is Haltech fully programmable, individual runner, throttle-body electronic fuel injection. Aeroquip fitting and steel braid used for all oil / fuel / heater lines. Engine CURRENTLY PASSES ALL REQUIRED COLORADO EMISSIONS TESTING.

There are two lists attached, a modifications list and an awards list, which provide some additional background. While my Pantera has won it's share of local and national awards, I consider this a drivers car. I've driven the car to the Las Vegas POCA event twice (won Best All-Round Pantera in 1998 for distance driven to event, track time and car show), have been to many track events and drive it pretty regularly between late April and early October. The car is always garaged and very well maintained - in all respects. The nose, that is from the doors forward, were repainted last winter and still in excellent condition. The back half shows some signs of minor wear and tear (if one looks closely) but is not yet in need of any work.