Latest news with #DeTomasoPantera
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Elvis Shot His Pantera In A Heated Rage For Being A Hooptie
⚡️ Read the full article on Motorious The De Tomaso Pantera is an Italian supercar with Ford engine. Frustrating many, this car was rushed to market, but was on the verge of greatness. Thanks to Ford rushing it to market, it was known as being a total lemon of a car. Elvis handled the car's gremlins with fire power. Learn about the Top Gun Porsche here. Alejandro De Tomaso born in Argentina, fled after he was implicated in a plot to overthrow the Argentinian government, settled in Northern Italy. De Tomaso raced and started his own car company. Execs at Ford liked the car and pushed the leadership to collaborate, and it only took a year to make the Pantera. In its own price class, had power windows, and air conditioning. Very different for its time, it rolled on 4-wheel IRS and got stopping power from disc brakes. Since it was billed as a higher end car under the Ford umbrella, it was sold through Lincoln dealerships. The Pantera was known for having an awkward steering wheel that blocks the gauges, pedals are shifted towards the center so it's hard to shift. The car had a tendency to overheat and vapor lock. Mechanics hated them, they were plagued by recalls and electrical issues, but they still had and have a loyal fan base. Awkward steering wheel that blocks the gauges, pedals are shifted towards the center so it's hard to shift. The car had a tendency to overheat and vapor lock. That might be because it was powered by a 351 Cleveland - rated 310 hp due to emissions standards - and had a uniquely tuned exhaust that gave it a very distinct growl. Elvis bought one used for $2,500 ($13000) to impress his girlfriend Linda Thompson. His career was sliding at the time, and he gained a reputation of being a hot head, famously shooting his tv because he didn't like who was on it. He was known for playing with guns, like shooting floating lightbulbs in his swimming pool, and even brought a gun into the oval office. After an argument with his girlfriend, he went to leave and the car wouldn't start, this set him off. Elvis shot the car twice, one bullet ricocheted off the steering wheel into the windshield. The car was sold by Elvis in 1976, of course we all know Elvis died a year later in 1977, and in 1981, the Pantera was traded for $300,000 worth of diamonds. Shortly after, it was sold to Robert Petersen, owner of the Petersen Museum where the car lives today. "I was thrilled to get the Pantera," said Petersen. "Elvis' tantrums are well known and to have a vehicle associated with one of them makes our collection that much more special"
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Watch A De Tomaso Pantera Go For A Paint-Stripping, Rust-Removing Bath
We all love to see a car restoration. Watching someone turn some grubby, abandoned barn find into a perfectly shiny time machine is just so satisfying. But what about the parts in between, all the little minutiae that comes between Before and After? Well, if this video of paint stripping and rust repair on a De Tomaso Pantera is anything to go by, those steps are just as fun to watch. You might have seen YouTuber minute_of_dangle before — he's been chemical-dipping cars on YouTube for years — but I didn't know about the channel until the almighty algorithm served me this video of a paint and rust removal on a Pantera today. I'm guessing it saw my watch history full of motorcycles and Adam Savage and decided I was the exact kind of person who'd like to watch a car slowly lose its paint and rust to a vat of chemicals. It was right. Read more: Apparently It's Illegal To Put A 'For Sale' Sign In Your Truck Now Of course, the process isn't at simple as "rusty red thing goes in, perfectly stripped rust-free thing comes out." The process requires plenty of dips and liberal application of a pressure washer, but it's all just so nice to sit down and watch. I want a playlist of every one of these videos on a loop, on mute, whenever I'm just hanging out. It's so nice to just see a process happen, through which an object is changed. If you liked How It's Made, you'll probably like seeing the hard work of both a factory paint booth and years of rot carefully undone by a big vat of liquid and a high-powered Super Soaker. If you didn't like How It's Made, I fundamentally don't understand you, but give the clip a watch anyway. Who doesn't love to see a process be done — or better yet, undone by yet another process? Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Audi Just Unveiled a Sleek New A6 Avant Station Wagon
Audi's next generation of mid-sized cars has arrived. The automaker just unveiled its new A6 Avant wagon in Europe, the latest entry to the luxury station wagon market that's having a moment right now. Audi has been upgrading plenty of its classic models over the past few months, such as the A5, and now it's the A6's turn to show off its new stuff. And while the wagon may not be making its debut in the U.S., never fear: A car with similar upgrades to the newest launch should be headed stateside sometime this year, Car and Driver reported. More from Robb Report Mercedes-Benz Is Road Testing a New EQS With up to 621 Miles of Range An Ultra-Rare De Tomaso Pantera Is Now Heading to Auction F1 Might Bring Back V-10s and Their Famous Noise Though the A6 Avant may not seem all that different from previous Audis, it's a surprisingly stylish change from the outgoing model. The performance wagon's wide-front grille helps out in that department, as well as its wide creases. Thanks to those body upgrades, the A6 Avant has a drag coefficient of .25, which is a new low for the marque's internal-combustion cars. The new launch, of course, also has Audi's famed LED headlights. As for grunt, the European iteration will have two options under the hood: a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four and a turbocharged 2.0-liter diesel four cylinder, both with 201 hp. The U.S. edition, meanwhile, should be equipped with only a turbocharged 3.0-liter six cylinder, according to Car and Driver. With that power train, the A6 offers up 362 hp and 406 ft. lbs. of torque to all four wheels. The V-6 version can dark from zero to 62 mph in 4.7 seconds, while the 2.0-liter iteration takes 8.3 seconds to hit the same speed. The new launch will also have a 48-volt electrical assistance system, made up of a 1/7 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery attached to a belt alternator starter and a power train generator. That generator helps the A6 Avant cruise on electric power while driving slowly, Car and Driver reported. It can also give the car an extra boost of 24 hp and 170 ft. lbs. of torque when it accelerates from a standstill. Audi says the A6 Avant has more direct steering than previous iterations, the publication reported, thanks to a stiffer torsion bar and control arm brushings, as well as an increase in the camber on the front axle. The new model will offer rear-wheel steering when it's equipped with all-wheel-drive, making the ride move more easily around corners. Adaptive air suspension is up for grabs if you want it, and you can tack on a Quattro Sport rear differential, too, if you're searching for more agility. Heading inside, the cabin is full of silver details, as well as three screens on the dash. The center 14.5-inch touchscreen is paired with an 11.9-inch digital gauge cluster. It's up to you whether you'd like to have the 10.9-inch screen on the passenger side (and the heads-up display and the four-zone automatic climate control are also optional). A panoramic glass roof, Bang & Olufsen surround-sound system, and seven different exterior-light settings round out the other interior details. Audi will begin deliveries of the A6 Avant in Europe, priced at about $61,000 for the gas-powered four-cylinder, at the end of May. As for the U.S edition, that's expected to debut later in 2025, putting deliveries in 2026, Car and Driver reports. Prices for the stateside iteration should land in the low $60,000s to start with. While you're waiting to add the A6 Avant to your collection, though, here are a few luxury station wagons to buy right now. Click to see more photos of the A6 Avant. Best of Robb Report The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Audi's A6 Avant in Photos
More from Robb Report Mercedes-Benz Is Road Testing a New EQS With up to 621 Miles of Range An Ultra-Rare De Tomaso Pantera Is Now Heading to Auction F1 Might Bring Back V-10s and Their Famous Noise Best of Robb Report The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht Click here to read the full article. The Audi A6 Avant on the road. The front. The car's left side. The car's right side. The back. The interior. The dashboard.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
This Maserati MC20 Just Became the Fastest Autonomous Car
Records are meant to be broken, especially fastest-speed records in cars. Maserati announced Monday that it set a new record for fastest autonomous car, or 197.7 mph in modified MC20, beating the old record by 4.9 mph. The record was set at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on one of the world's longest runways, the 2.8-mile stretch of pavement where Space Shuttles landed. More from Robb Report Aston Martin Now Has Over $1 Billion in Debt, Will Cut 5% of It Workforce An Ultra-Rare De Tomaso Pantera Is Now Heading to Auction These New Ultra-Exclusive McLaren Supercars Celebrate Its Latest F1 Championship The modified MC20 that drove autonomously—also with help from artificial intelligence—had previously set the mark for fastest autonomous production car at 177 mph, a record which it set in November. Maserati said that setting the mark was part of its journey to making autonomous driving safe for higher speeds on the highway. People and engineers involved with the project, part of the Indy Autonomous Challenge, probably also thought it was extremely cool to go fast. 'These world speed records are much more than just a showcase of future technology; we are pushing AI-driver software and robotics hardware to the absolute edge,' Paul Mitchell, CEO of Indy Autonomous Challenge, said in a statement. 'Doing so with a streetcar is helping transition the learnings of autonomous racing to enable safe, secure, sustainable, high-speed autonomous mobility on highways.' The fastest car in the world is the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport which got up to a verified 304.7 mph, while the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut will do a claimed 330 mph. Anything beyond that begins to enter the realm of jet engines or merely the impractical, which is why automakers focus these days more on acceleration. Acceleration is also getting much quicker thanks to electric motors and their instant torque, making numbers like a zero-to-60 time in 2 seconds or less seem almost normal. With top speeds, though, very fast supercars usually top out around 200 mph, like the new Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider, which goes up to a claimed 211 mph. That's in part because while getting up to 200 mph is impressive, getting up to 300 mph is exponentially more difficult, and going faster than that exponentially more difficult still. There are also not that many suitable tracks or proving grounds on which to test super-fast speeds owing to the length required, which is why airport runways are often used. The autonomous record will surely fall again, in other words, but it wouldn't be much of a surprise if it ends up being mostly in line with the human-drive of Robb Report The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht Click here to read the full article.
