This 600 horsepower beast is a unique piece of automotive mastery.
We've all heard stories about Ford's impressive race-bred sports car from the early 1970s, made specifically to compete with the sleek sports cars of Italy. You might be expecting us to talk about the Ford GT, but in reality, we are discussing something a bit more obscure. Perhaps you know this car from when Elvis shot a hole through the steering wheel or from researching the incredible merger of two innovative automotive manufacturers. First, however, a reputation was gained; the Ford Pantera is one of the most desirable Ford collector cars. This particular Pantera is a detailed build with custom bodywork, engine modifications, and handling upgrades.
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Sitting between the axles of this mid-engine sports car is a massive 454 Windsor V8 engine rated as a whopping 600 horsepower. This insane horsepower figure utilizes Cleveland big-block heads and a small-block Windsor block to give an outstanding balance between the best of both worlds. High revving combines with high torque figures to make a ridiculous driving experience for only the bravest of drivers. All of that power is controlled with a RideTech air-ride suspension system which makes handling incredibly versatile for all road and track situations. This system allows the vehicle to maintain traction and minimizes wheel spin even when accelerating hard.
One of the main attractors of this vehicle is the immense level of attention to detail present with every piece of in-house built engineering. One of the most remarkable features is the set of shock absorbers that connect to an angle on the exhaust manifold, which helps minimize the pipes' movement. Apparently, the pipes used to hit the body at times which is less than ideal for such an in-depth build. The front fascia may seem oddly familiar because it originally came from an early 2000s Ford GT, which seemed fitting as the body styles were very similar. Overall, it's wild that all of this was done in-house by a team that doesn't even specialize in building these cars. Perhaps we'll see some more insane V8-powered sports cars rolling out of their warehouse soon enough, but until then, it looks like this car is the best of its kind.