ARES Design S1 Project Spyder
Based on the brand’s awesome S1 Project, the S1 Project Spyder takes the hardtop’s awesomeness and gives it a breath of fresh (and really fast) air. The essentially a Barchetta (“little boat”) version that uses…
Ares Design Panther Project Spyder Confirmed
A Modern Day De Tomaso Pantera Spyder
We’ve always loved the De Tomaso Pantera, and we’re thrilled to see Ares Design come out with a car that was heavily inspired by the vehicle. It’s like the modern-day car that we thought we’d never get. Now Ares Design has confirmed that it will build a Spyder variant of the car.
In an interview with Top Gear, Dany Bahar, who is the company’s boss, said that the deliveries for the coupe version of the car will begin getting to customers by the end of April. Then he said, “a few months later, [Ares] will present the Spyder version.”
The Panter Project is a car built on the Lamborghini Huracan. Lamborghini also has a Spyder version of the car, so Ares Design will likely use this version of the car to make the Spyder. According to Top Gear, only 70 Panter Project cars will be built. This includes both the coupe and Spyder.
As far as the performance numbers go, we’d expect them to be essentially the same as the coupe version of the car. It will be interesting to see how Ares Design manages with the styling of the car. The coupe version looks fantastic, so we’d imagine the convertible one will too, but you never know. Full details will be released at a later date when the company shows off the car. As Bahar said, that will occur a few months later. Until then, we’ll keep you posted on any new developments.
Ares Design Panther a worthy tribute to the DeTomaso Pantera
Ares Design finally has its Panther ready. Codenamed Project 1 because it launches the Italian coachbuilder’s Legends Reborn series, the Panther prowls as a modern interpretation of yesteryear’s DeTomaso Pantera. Based on an all-wheel drive Lamborghini Huracán, the Panther does well to mimic the fat-back wedge of the original, and restores pop-up headlights to the 21st century performance cars.
The specs go some way beyond DeTomaso’s effort. Thanks to an ECU tune, sports catalytic converters and a new exhaust, the 5.2-liter V10 is rated at 650 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. That’s 300 hp and 110 lb-ft away from the Ford-sourced 5.8-liter Cleveland V8 in the 1988 Pantera GT5 S. It’s also 20 hp beyond the current Huracán Evo. The bodywork’s been spun from carbon fiber, yielding a 3,138-pound dry curb weight, which is 91 pounds more than the Huracán Performante, four pounds more than the Evo version.
Six-piston Brembos up front and four-piston units in back clamp carbon carbon ceramic discs behind a sweet set of staggered bronze wheels, 20 inches ahead, 21 inches astern. Those brakes will come in handy considering the 202-mph top speed.
The interior can be dressed up any way an owner wishes, naturally. The demo model smothers the Lamborghini interior in even more carbon fibers, leather, Alcantara and cross-stitching.
Ares Design will build only 21 Panthers, with first deliveries in May. The conversion takes three months, the price opens at 615,000 euros before options, or $696,300 in U.S. specie. None of those figures have any bearing on you, though, because all 21 build slots have already been paid for. So enjoy the gallery.
Ares Design Panther Project 1 Is Styled After the De Tomaso Pantera
Underneath This Beauty Lurks a Lamborghini Huracan
The vehicle you see before you is the Ares Design Panther Project 1, but it’s actually a Lamborghini Huracan underneath. The design house too the 5.2-liter V10 supercar and added a retro looking body to it that was inspired by the De Tomaso Pantera. Ares Design hasn’t just left the Huracan underpinnings and powertrain alone, though. The company made the car and its engine its own.
The Panther Project 1 makes a strong 641 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque. It achieved this through an ECU tune and a new exhaust system. The company didn’t touch the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission or the all-wheel-drive system. It’s actually slower than the Huracan to 60 mph, but it has the same top speed. Despite this slight decline in acceleration, the car should still be a true performer both on the road and on the racetrack.
All the body panels of the car are made of carbon fiber, and the car has some unique flip-up headlights you won’t find anywhere else. The interior of the car has been completely restyled. It has tons of carbon fiber, Alcantara, and Nappa leather. The only thing that’s obviously Lamborghini here are the electronics.
The company can build one of these beautiful De Tomaso Pantera lookalikes in about three months. If you want one, you’ll have to wait that long and be willing to fork over $695,000.