The span between the late 1980s and early 1990s was a great time to be an auto enthusiast. You had automakers competing to build the quickest thing on four wheels, radical designs, and cars a quarter of the size that they are today. But, most importantly, you had the iconic image of pop-up headlights dancing around on the front-end of your favorite little sporty Japanese car. But as safety regulations pushed the pop-up headlamp out of style, we began to miss the good ol’ days.
Now, a coachbuilding company known as Ares Design is determined to make you fall in love all over again. Ares debuted its latest supercar, the Panther, and shows that the automaker has truly made a very well executed attempt to modernize the concept of the pop-up headlight.
Ares says that it received its inspiration for the build thanks to the 1970 De Tomaso Pantera, a car built in the very same town where Ares recently opened its newest facility, Modena, Italy. Of course, the town itself is known for its luxurious automotive offerings, being home to both Ferrari and Maserati.
But Ares chose a different manufacturer to use as its jumping off point. The Panther began life as the carbon and aluminum chassis made popular by the Lamborghini Huracan, even going as far to use the same V-10 engine, albeit modified to increase its displacement from 5.2 liters up to 5.6. The Lambo engine receives a power boost from 610 to 650 horsepower; however, torque remains the same as its long lost brother at 413 pound-feet of torque. Ares has also hinted at the possibility of another power boost, meaning these numbers may not be final.
Getting your hands on one will be the hardest part, as every last one of the 21 copies to be produced this year has already paid for at the premium of $593,000 (515,000 Euros), something which clearly wasn’t inspired by the Ford-powered Pantera’s price tag; a hair under $8,600 in 1970. Ares will kick off production of their supercar beginning in October.