Real Pantera Hatch compared to aftermarket Z Kit

[Sleek Z]

Gang,

 

I've been noticing how often the subject has come up in the past year about those Pantera hatch "bath tub" inserts that used to be seen frequently on Z cars in the 70s and 80s.

 

I've photographed and shared photos of two of them on my ZPARTS.COM website for several years, but now that some are all excited about Arizona Z Car once again offerring their version for sale, I thought I'd serve ya'll up with a different photo comparison, that of a real Ford Pantera parked side by side with a 280Z at the Z DOCTOR repair shop in Richmond, CA. The Pantera is owned by the owner of the shop, Dave Vanek, and just sits there all day gathering dust so I said, "Hey, why not?"

 

Link to 3 comparison photos with 2 distint angles of view of the Pantera is at http://www.zparts.com/showcase/bodykits/pantera_hatch/web2/index.htm

 

More shots of the aftermarket Pantera hatch kits installed cleanly on Z cars can be found at the following links

 

Silver Z with kit http://www.zparts.com/events/wczn20/pages/00r10f09a.htm

 

Many shots of Deep Blue Z with Pantera kit from many angles http://www.zparts.com/events/zfest2002/index.html

 

Hope this post and the photos serve as good references for those thinking of purchasing a Pantera style Z kit.

 

btw, I'd like to know what everyone thinks of the web photo display format used with the red Pantera shots. I am thinking of fine tuning that design and using it more often to create Z Car and Tech Photo displays. Does it work for most of you? Like the informantion box on the side of pic? Please comment if you have time

 

Thanks,

[Tim240z]

Eric,

As always, great insightful information!!

 

I like the setup, but I also like to see the thumbnails instead of page numbers, otherwise--great!

[Sleek Z]

Tim

 

Glad you think that the pics may serve someone a purpose. When I saw everyone discussing Arizona Z Car's reemergence back to the market place with the Pantera kit I thought it would be a great idea to shoot a bunch of comparison shots using the Pantera and then re order my old record shots into one display, but frankly, it's been a hectic and active week online this week (Dual turbo Q45 swap being the "big one" for sure) so I just ran out of time to pull it all off in a nice neat one display format.

 

Anyway, I agree with your one objection about the web photo display format you comment on. I love the basic gray theme, with a little bit of new ZP logo color added later on, of course, but I don't like the numbered transition links at the bottom and way the page has to reload for each image.

 

I'd like to create a similar display formant with frames and ver small thumbnails always visible at the bottom of main photo and retain the expandable light grey descrption box on the right side in such a way that only change would be a new large photo loading.

 

Oh, well , back to the drawing board.

 

thanks much for the helpful comments. Constructive critiques are real helpful when trying to work out graphic design and visual communication solutions like web photo displays.

[DavyZ]

Eric, I also wanted to thank you for posting the links to your site with the pictures. I do hope to see more of the Pantera-style hatches on the road since they are being produced once again. They are unique in that so few Z cars have them, yet they look like they could have been produced that way.

 

Davy

[Sleek Z]

DavyZ

 

Glad you found the pics useful and interesting. Almost every day I'd walk by that red Pantera at that Z repair shop during my business rounds of the day and think to myself, ".... there has just got to be shot here somewhere needing to be taken that the HybridZ gang can make use of?" Then the "Arizona Z sells Pantera kits again" topic came up and wah lah, I knew what needed to do.

 

Now, one extra thought about the Pantera hatch kit insert for a Z. Each time I see one of those sharp inter edged kits installed on an S30 body, I keep thinking that something just does not look quite right, design wise? Some how I don't think the sharp inner trough lines of the insert harmonizes with the S30's curvature of roof line and rounded slope of tapered hatch line. Nor does the kit echo any other sharp edged design elements anywhere else on an S30 body.

 

Now you may say, "...but, it acts as a design counter point to the S30's lines?" if so, then I'd disagree. The change I'd make to the present Pantera kit would be to remove all the abrupt inner edge bends and 90 degree side walls and smooth them out in to more rounded and tapered transistions of line back to the tail lights while keeping with the basic look of a side buttressed rear side roof line and upright flat rear window.

 

Ball's now in somebody's else's court. Any comments or other ideas?

 

Sleek Z

[Tim240z]

Eric....I've always thought exactly the same thing....although I love the look, something, something small, just isn't quite right!

I've pictured (in my mind) a wing on the rear, but that doesn't seem right either. Maybe a 'racing stripe' down the middle to break up that large expanse of horizontal plane? It needs something to 'set it off'....

 

Tim

[Sven]

Tim, I see that the engine "hump" of the Testarossa has affected both of us...

 

Eric, I've always felt the same way about the hatch. It would mesh better, with more of a "U" shape vice the square corners. A slightly laid back window might work with that. The Dino brings even more compicated curves to mind (Didn't the MR2 have a curved backglass?). Man, I need to get Photoshop...

 

*On a total side note, as a regular visitor to your site, I appreciate what you've done. It's sort of a compendium of the oddball Z stuff that can't be found elsewhere. The taillight page has been a great help in visualizing what I'd like to do. While researching all things Z, have you found much information about the Primadonna kits? I can't find more than a few pictures, and like the front end (not the Red Baron wing).