As appearing in  our Summer 1998 Issue of Pantera International
Story and Photos by Goran Ohlsson of Sweden

"It is early Saturday morning in June 1990 in Muscat, the capitol of Oman. The weekend is over and I just left the house and my family for a new week of work in the desert.

Ahead of me I have three hours to drive to the city of Sohar which is situated near the border of United Arab Emirates. I am working there on a telephone expansion project.

This morning I had to take one of the companie’s spare cars, my regular car was due for service. After about an hour drive something happened to my car, it is misfiring and is out of power. It is five kilometers to a small village named Barka. When I finally reach there I try to ask a local fellow where the nearest garage is, he seems to understand and guides me there.

In the garage, which consists of only a wall made of bricks, three gentlemen from India are working with almost no tools or equipment. With some doubt but no choice, I reluctantly hand over the car for service.

While I was waiting I looked around the workshop, suddenly I caught sight of a familiar shape that was covered by a canvas.

As a friend of products from De Tomaso I soon realize that this is a Pantera lying under the canvas. How can this be possible in a small village where no other forms of transportation seem to exist other than Datsun pick-ups and camels?

I lifted the canvas and discovered that this was not just any Pantera, but, a GT5 which had sustained damaged along the left side. Unfortunately, attempt had been made to repair the automobile. As a result of inadequate body repair equipment and lack of knowledge the physical damage had actually been increased.

The chassis number revealed that this was a fairly new car. I take a look inside the fenders and further confirmed the car’s vintage, very late model. Judging from the tires and other running equipment, I concluded that the Pantera had not been driven very long before it had gotten into trouble.

The reading on the clock reported only 2700 km! The interior in white and black leather was partly destroyed by the sun and sandstorms. One of the Indian guys came closer to me and announces, "this car has been here for five years, belongs to the palace, his majesty the Sultan you see ".

I watch the distress for a moment and consider, how can anyone just leave analmost new Pantera to its destiny out here in the middle of the desert?

I returned the canvas and then attended to my car which was working again. I paid and continued my trip. During the week I decided to investigate about the Pantera further. The question in my mind was, who could possibly assist in this matter? How could I get in touch with someone who was responsible for the Sultan’s car fleet? Certainly, this cant be easy.

At the end of the week I returned to Muscat. I came in contact with an Omani citizen whose name was Nabil. Apparently, his job was to serve as a contact or liason with the Omani authorities. Telling him about my interest, he promises to investigate the matter. I learned that Nabil, in turn, made contact with a car dealer, one of the largest in the country, who had connections with the Royal Palace.

Four months later and after some correspondence and telephone calls etc., the deal was made through the above mentioned car dealer. Thereafter, I received the paperwork or title on the car. The history told me that the Pantera had been delivered to the Palace in September of 1985 and in November of that same year it went off the road, promptly ending its Royal tour of duty!

The Pantera was then transported to our home in Muscat, it was there that I resided until my employment contract ended. One year later, in the summer of 1991, it was finally time for us to leave Oman for Sweden. Our belongings and the Pantera were packed in the same container with a final destination of Sweden.

It was not until two years later, after I finished building a new home that I was able to fully turn my attention to my Pantera that I had rescued from the desert.

The restoration

In the autumn of 1993 the restoration finally started in earnest, by then I had already purchased plenty of new parts such as fenders, doors, roof, hoods, interior parts and you name it. All the new parts for the chassies were made locally. I ordered a copy of a chassis drawing from the De Tomaso factory, on which the complete fixture for the chassiss was made (with help from a "de Tomaso friend" Michael Dahlman).

Mr. Goran Ohlsson of Sweden

I was able to use some of the existing innerpanels and framing at front and rear which were still satisfactory. The new fenders and front coachwork are GT5-S.

The complete paintwork (Ford red P9) was applied by Hakan Kallin in a neighboring city in Sweden. The interior was completely restored as well with all of the leather replaced. The engine, is an Australian Cleveland. The gearbox was only detailed and some seals changed.

The suspension parts were all glassblasted and zinc-coated or painted.

The restoration took me four years but effectively maybe about 1500 hours to perform. The red GT5-S was finally completed in the spring of 1997 and I am happy to report is working just fine. The Sultan would be proud.
Pantera International

Oh Yeah!

You're looking at more than a Pantera with a new paint job.

Story and photographs by David L. Adler

Bob Bishop developed his capabilities in the aircraft industry in creating carbon fiber products. Applying his skills to that automotive canvas known as the Pantera, has yielded a unique result. In addition to presenting this striking automobile in this feature article, I wanted to share the unbridled enthusiasm and passion that Bob has for Panteras as well as for another one of our fave manufacturers, MoPar muscle cars. Here is Bob's story:

"I have owned this 1972 Pantera for four years. I decided to purchase a Pantera because in my book it was always the King. It was the car I wanted to own. I owned MoPars and they were fine as well, but the Pantera was the one I had to have.

This was the first Pantera I had ever owned. I heard that the prior owner was sent to jail. He had taken the car in to a repair shop and when he didn't pay the tab, the shop conducted a lien sale on it. It had a nine or ten thousand dollar bill on it. I got it after that.

I have put less than ten thousand miles on the car. I got it for fun and to enjoy driving it. I didn't have to have the car painted. It came this way. A young painter sprayed this refrigerator white color. It was a very good job. I can't find any fault with his work. He was an Australian fellow only 18 years old!

I prepared and painted the engine bay myself. It is completely seamless now. You can see yourself in the reflection. I am very proud of how it came out. It was a big project for me. I spent ten Super Bowls doing it!

I painted it right in my driveway. I enjoyed doing it.
The carbon fiber work in the car was also performed by me. I used to work in the aircraft industry, specializing in composite repair. I learned a lot about carbon fiber material beginning in the early days. PI Motorsports helped me with a lot of the work as well. What I couldn't make myself, they did for me. It is very hard and very tricky to make carbon fiber components. I can show you how to do it, but to actually do it yourself is difficult. You have to be a craftsman. You have to be handy with your hands to make it.

The air cleaner cover is a one off. I made the actual structure from aluminum and then laminated it with carbon fiber material. I used a real thin skin. It is actually stronger than carbon fiber alone. Most of the parts that are in the interior, I made myself.

As for the upholstery, I chose a place called, Torrance Upholstery. John down there did this job and it was dirt cheap. The fabric is light gray and leather. It uses four hides.

A lot of effort has been taken to make my car run cool. For instance, the front hood has a huge exhaust, something like a GT-40. A real good job of cutting the hood was performed to install the grate. The grate is actually from a Boeing 747. Since I am an aircraft mechanic, I dig it. The interior of the hood compartment was remodeled for the cooling updates to fit in and to operate.

The horizontal plane of the trunk was cut off about 18 inches back from the radiator and then a bulkhead was welded in there. I created an inverted wing in essence in there. You could see it if the front hood was invisible. I made a pan. I once took the Pantera up to 145 miles per hour and this set up also helped to keep the front end nailed to the ground. It was awesome. Planted and cool at the same time! It runs practically too cool. I took it to Willow Springs Raceway to wring it out at speed. It ran twenty degrees cooler and the front end had a huge push in it, because the tires bit so hard.

The radiator is a 5 row I got from Hall Pantera. I bought stainless steel tubes from an aircraft supply house and fabricated new tubes for the coolant myself. They charged me $4.00 a pound for the material. All of the panels in the car are made out of polished titanium.

To make this car stop, I put in a JFZ system. I don't use a power brake booster because there wasn't enough room to fit one in. They are manual brakes, but frankly, there isn't much effort necessary to operate the brakes. I plan to put in Wilwood 6 piston brakes later this year.

The steering wheel is a flat bottom Grant brand I purchased. The white face gauges were bought from Hall Pantera. The shift plate is solid carbon fiber that I made and I hand painted the ZF logo on it.

The dashboard is a solid piece of carbon fiber. I made a mold first out of aluminum. I spent two Super Bowls at least making that. The spreader bar is a solid piece of carbon fiber and is actually heavier than an aluminum one. I over-built it intentionally.

The valve covers were very tricky to make. It is hard to explain how I do things because I spent half of my life working on airplanes. All I can say is that it is not impossible, just a little bit of trickery.

I hope you like the way the ZF turned out. I went over the case with a Scotch-Brite disc to scuff it up. I acid washed it next and then sprayed it with flat black, semi-gloss enamel. Then I highlighted the ribs on the case by polishing them up for contrast. I did it without disassembling the transmission. The trans had been overhauled earlier. For my clutch and pressure plate, I use the PI Motorsports set-up they sell for 400 horsepower and up.

I put this engine together myself. I didn't want to. I had a builder, who I won't name, do it for me initially but it failed. I was forced to do it myself and I am happy I did. I use an Edelbrock Performer manifold that I polished. I chose a 750 Holley. The horsepower hasn't been verified on a dyno but I estimate I have 370 at the rear wheels.

I plan to change out the Hall Pantera headers I have on the car now in favor of 2 inch diameter tubes. Now they are 1 7/8 inch. The exhaust system is plated with a ceramic coating. They say it keeps the heat in, but I know of an aircraft coating that is even better and cheaper. It is called Lubri-Plate. It is the best. You can buy a container for five or six dollars and it will never come off. The tanks were purchased from Hall Pantera. I relocated them to a new position.

The enclosure surrounding the air condenser was made all out of carbon fiber. The fan is cad plated and is from Jake's. I installed a Hall Pantera over-head speaker system that I modified for my tastes. I covered it in leather. The wheels and tires are from PI Motorsports and are 17X11 in the rear and 17X8 in the front. I have a hand brake that is plumbed into the brake lines to use as a line lock. I made the carbon fiber panel on top of it. I custom made the pedals out of sheet metal. I rolled them and shaped them to fit my feet perfectly.

The front spoiler is from a later model Pantera. I modified it by lowering it down an inch and fitting it to my car. It is more like a scoop. I made the intakes functional.

What I like about driving it, is that I am egotistical. I am from England and I was born that way. It pulls with the force of a big block. This summer I plan on pulling the suspension apart and filling it in solid and making honey comb updates, that will be unique for this car.

I apologize for the mirrors. Those are from a Cougar and they are horrible. They rattle, shake and roll.

Everything is for sale. I have been offered good money for the car and turned it down. I must admit that I am also a big MoPar man and I sure would like to have another Hemi car. The picture I have proves that I am a MoPar man. I would trade this car for a Hemi-Challenger or 'Cuda. I saw Dave and Linda's 'Cuda, painted in Limelight green and I wouldn't mind having that one either.

When I read the article in PI about the Hemi-Pantera from Sweden I had an orgasm. I read that story three or four times. Now you can purchase a 526 inch Hemi block from Chrysler, can you handle that?

I want to say that the Pantera is 99% ego and 1% functional, but, do you know what? It is a blast. I sold all my MoPars to buy this car. The Pantera is the one, the Pantera is the KING."

Bob sold these mighty fine MoPars to purchase this Pantera

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