The Lazer was an open roadster

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

produced by the UK's

Panther Westwinds Panther Westwinds (commonly known as Panther) was a manufacturer of niche sports cars and luxury cars, based in Surrey, United Kingdom. History Founded in 1972 by Robert Jankel, the Panther company initially manufactured retro-styled cars based ...

company in 1974. Only one was ever sold. The Canadian importer for

Panther Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards. ***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...

wanted

Robert Jankel Robert Jankel (1 January 1938 – 25 May 2005) was a British designer of limousines, armoured cars, and other speciality vehicles. He also founded the automotive company Panther Westwinds. Early life Born in London in 1938, Jankel was educat ...

to build a unique

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

as a surprise present for his wife. The car was to take its engine, manual gearbox, independent suspension and braking system from the

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

XJ12, although somewhere along the way, a 4.2-litre 6-cylinder engine was substituted for the V12, along with a J72-sourced rear axle. It was an odd 3-seat vehicle with a contemporary

grand tourer A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving, due to a combination of performance and luxury attributes. The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either ...

body. The car's wedgy aluminium bodywork housed a three-abreast passenger compartment, with centrally-mounted instruments being housed in a prominent binnacle that was angled towards the driver. The OTT rear wing gave the car something of a "

Wacky Races Eccentricity (also called quirkiness) is an unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive. Eccentricity is contrasted with norm ...

" appearance, although in overall terms, the car's design was quite respectable, featuring energy absorbing bodywork with box-section crumple zones. Although a visionary example of automotive design, the woman for whom it had been built rejected this gift from her husband. Delivered in August 1974, the car was promptly returned to Panther's UK premises, where it languished for a couple of years before being sold to the

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, Reza Pahlavi, as he was still a teenager. It is now located at the

National Car Museum of Iran The National Car Museum of Iran ( ''Muze Melli Xodrodu Irân'') is a museum in Karaj, Iran, opened in . Displayed at the museum are classic cars owned by the last Shah of the Pahlavi Dynasty, Mohammad Reza Shah. In addition to the large museum ...

References

{{Panther Westwinds Lazer Roadsters 1970s cars