Panther Solo

The Panther Solo is a mid-engined sports car that was made by the British company Panther Car Company. It was available as a two-seat coupé, with the option of additional rear seats to make it a 2+2. SsangYong Motor Company, which had become the owner of Panther Westwinds, made a concept car called the SsangYong Solo 3 as a tribute to the original Solo and Solo 2, as well as a racing version called the SsangYong Solo Le Mans.

The first Solo, the Solo 1, was a simple mid-engined rear wheel drive car. It had a Ford 1.6 CVH Engine (as fitted in the Ford Fiesta XR2), and was designed as a replacement for the marque's volume model, the Panther Kallista. The car used relatively simple technology, had contemporary styling and was clad in a fibreglass body in order to save weight. However, Toyota launched its second generation MR2 around the same time, and the Solo was unable to compete with this Japanese rival.

The South Korean original owner of Panther Mr Y. C. Kim made the decision to amend the Solo after taking a vacation in Guam where he saw one of the early MR2s. A new styling design for the Solo was created by Mr Ken Greenley of the London RCA vehicle styling school : with a slightly larger 2+2 layout with a composite upper body, permanent four wheel drive and the engine being mid mounted from a Ford Sierra Cosworth. This would be called the "Solo 2". The body engineering designers involved were :- Martin Freestone (composites), Keith Hunter (underbody & structure), William "Bill" Davies (details), Mert Wreford (making coffee).