Panther

Panther Westwinds (commonly known as Panther) was a specialty automobile manufacturer in Surrey, United Kingdom. Founded in 1972 by Robert Jankel, the Panther company enjoyed success throughout the 1970s with retro-styled cars based on production mechanicals.

The company's Panther J72, like the resurrected Stutz Blackhawk in the United States, became a car for top celebrities to be seen in. The later Panther De Ville Convertible is perhaps best-remembered as Cruella De Vil's car in Disney's animated One Hundred and One Dalmatians.

The Panther company collapsed in 1980 and was purchased by Young Kim of Korea. He built a new factory in Harlow and began assembling cars using Korean-made bodies. In the 1980s, the company moved into the sports car arena, culminating with the 1990 Panther Solo. Panther lost money on every Solo, and the company was liquidated to Korean SsangYong Motor Company shortly afterwards.