UK's rarest cars: 1976 Panther Rio Especial, one of only six left

Telegraph

28-02-2025

At first sight, Peter Mayo's Especial Automatic resembles an intriguing combination of a Triumph Dolomite Sprint and a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. In part, this was the intention of its manufacturer, Panther Westwinds, as the Rio was meant to offer a more economical alternative to a Rolls. Today, only six are believed to survive – and the model represents one of the most offbeat chapters in the Dolomite story.
The Rio dates from 1974, when luxury-minded Panther's founder, Robert Jankel, and his co-director, David Franks, decided a 2.0-litre 'town car' would be the ideal product for a post-fuel-crisis world. They chose the Dolomite as its basis due to its engineering and slightly formal appearance. Within nine weeks of a new Triumph arriving at its works in West Byfleet, Surrey, Panther built the first Rio, which had a formal launch in 1975.
All the hand-beaten aluminium alloy body panels were unique to the Rio, while Panther also altered the Dolomite's roofline. The Rio's headlights and front indicators were from the Ford Granada and the tail-lights from the Triumph TR6, while many of the switches were from the Jaguar XJ Series 2. The interior had less space than the Dolomite thanks to its well-upholstered seats, although Jankel believed the upright driving position had a limousine-like dignity.
The proud owner further gained thick pile carpeting, extra soundproofing, Sundym tinted glass, a radio cassette player, Connolly Luxan hide trim, a burr-walnut-veneer fascia and electric windows. The detailing included an ashtray incorporating a cigar lighter on all four doors, along with alloy wheels featuring a Union flag on the hub. As for the new grille, it was vaguely reminiscent of a Rolls-Royce, albeit from a distance.
Panther offered two versions: the Standard was based on the Dolomite 1850, while the Especial was derived from the sportier Sprint model of the Triumph saloon. Mayo's car also features the optional air-conditioning system: 'It still works,' he says. The company planned for upmarket car dealership chain HR Owen to distribute the Rio, in whose showrooms the Panther would serve as a miniature option to the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.
In theory, the Rio was a viable proposition. It followed the tradition of customised Mini Cooper town cars of the 1960s from the likes of Radford, while the 1973 fuel crisis had made a significant impact upon the sales of large-engined saloons. Jankel was also keen to ensure that Panther was not known only as 'the company that builds old-fashioned motor cars' such as the De Ville, with its quasi-Bugatti Royale lines.
In October 1975, Autocar reported that HR Owen had 'ordered 100 of the new Panther Rio models with the first three months' production already sold'. The sales copy modestly claimed that 'the Rio combines characteristics combined in no other single car', with 'superb handling, a 115mph maximum speed and 0-60mph acceleration in 8.7 seconds'.
Unfortunately, there proved to be limited demand for the Rio. One challenge was that the Panther representing 'handcrafted exclusivity without ostentation' still bore too great a similarity to the more prosaic Dolomite. Michael Foster, the managing director of Avis Rent-a-Car, thought the Rio looked like 'a high-speed Humber Sceptre', which he did not intend as a compliment (the Mk3 version of the Sceptre, produced from 1967 to 1976, was effectively a humble Hillman Hunter).
A further problem was British Leyland's high-profile issues having an impact upon all its products, although the greatest challenge was probably that the Rio was phenomenally expensive. Jankel was obliged to purchase Dolomites from BL at full price, which helped inflate the Especial's cost in late 1976 to £9,445. This did not compare favourably with the Ford Granada Ghia at £4,602 or the £5,130 Rover SD1 3500. Even a Daimler Double-Six was less expensive than the Rio, at £9,059.
Unsurprisingly, a mere 38 Rios left the Panther factory between 1975 and 1977; this is the penultimate example. It joined the Mayo fleet of Panthers, which includes a yellow-and-white standard version, two De Villes, a J72, a Kallista and a Lima, in 2018. 'I find people either love it or hate it when I take the Rio to shows,' he says.
Mayo believes the main problem was that Panther made the Rio for the non-existent 1970s ultra-expensive compact-car sector. In 2025, his Especial still retains a sense of glamour. It is a car that should be parked outside a West End casino in The Professionals or a Joan Collins film. And with a box of After Eight mints in the glove compartment.