Ares Panther Evo: an updated supercar based on the legendary De Tomaso model

The Italian company Ares Modena, formerly known as Ares Design, has redesigned the Panther supercar, inspired by the legend of the 70s — De Thomas Pantera. The new version is called Panther Evo, it still borrows the main components and assemblies from the Lamborghini Huracan, but the body has become more elegant.

De Tomaso Pantera is considered one of the most outstanding supercars of the 70s, its the wedge-shaped body was and remains a style icon, the reincarnation of this model was a matter of time, and in 2017 Ares Design, backed by experienced businessman Dani Bahar, announced a new Panther. The Ares Panther prototype was introduced in 2018, how many copies were eventually produced is unknown, the price at the time of debut was 715,000 euros.

This week, Ares Design presented a revised Panther project with the Evo prefix. The concept remains the same, but the body has become more refined: the company has updated most of the exterior carbon fiber panels and lighting equipment. The rear lights are now more organically integrated into the stern, the twin side exhaust pipes have given way to two central ones, the aerodynamics have been improved, there are more air vents for the engine, and a more developed diffuser is integrated into the rear bumper.

The interior received an updated front fascia that better matches the spirit of the original De Tomaso Pantera, new seats and new trim. The steering wheel design has been slightly redesigned, with a row of old-fashioned toggle switches and buttons lined up on the center console, and below it is a Lamborghini multimedia touchscreen. The lever on the central tunnel is misleading: it seems that the car has a manual transmission, but it is not — the 7-speed «robot» with two clutches is also borrowed from the Lamborghini Huracan, and the grooves through which the lever moves are just different modes of this box, including a manual one in which the gears change sequentially.

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The retuned 5.2-liter naturally aspirated Lamborghini V10 engine on the Ares Panther Evo produces a maximum of 650 hp. and 600 Nm, the Panther has a full drive, acceleration to 100 km/h takes 3.1 s, top speed is 325 km/h. Chassis components and carbon-ceramic brakes are the same as Lamborghini, but with special settings. Ares Modena does not disclose the price of the Panther Evo.

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Recall that Ares Modena offers other interesting models, including the modern-looking Ares S1 mid-engined supercar based on Chevrolet Corvette C8.

In turn, De Tomaso also exists today and produces supercars no less spectacular than Ares Modena, but it is the Panther that is no longer in its model line.