Pink panthermobile has been restored to its former glory. Picture: Galpin
THE world’s most flamboyant vehicle has been restored to its former glory.
Costing half a million dollars to make in 1969, the Pink Panthermobile was one of the most exuberant and radical cars of the era.
Featuring prominently in the Pink Panther cartoon opening and closing sequence, the car was the work of legendary Hollywood car designer Jay Ohrberg — responsible for the Back To The Future DeLorean, the 1966 and 1989 Batmobiles and David Hasselhoff’s vehicle in Knight Rider.
The strange vehicle is shaped like an anteater, measuring 23-feet long and six-feet wide.
Powered by a seven litre engine, the driver is required to wear a helmet as they are open and exposed.
Behind the driver and engine is what is known as the “Pleasure Capsule” — an interior with pink shag reclined seats, square-tufted upholstery, half a dozen faux-fur pillows, a 1970s car phone and a bar.
The Pleasure Capsule is what the name suggests. Picture: GalpinSource:Supplied
The vehicle also includes a camera and small 70s black and white TV, so the driver can see behind the car.
Los Angeles-based Galpin Auto Sports purchased the front-wheel-drive Panthermobile at auction five years ago and has since been working to get it back on the road.
When the purveyor of 70s kustoms got ownership of the vehicle, the Oldsmobile engine didn’t run, the exterior had been repainted numerous times and the interior was damaged.
Galpin’s Dave Shuten led the restoration project, which was no easy task.
The car has two-piece clamshell opening doors. Picture: GalpinSource:Supplied
In order to return the vehicle to its former glory, Mr Shuten hired the Panthermobile’s original upholsterer, Joe Perez.
“He’s 90 years old now, and it’s a really big car, so it took a really long time,” he told Hagerty. “But it adds a lot of pedigree.”
After fixing the interior and adding a custom coat of PPG water-based paint, the car was once again ready for the road.
And just how does it drive? Not too good according to Mr Shuten.
“It takes up a s**tload of room. You sort of turn before anything else does, so it’s hard to grasp what’s going on,” he said.
“There’s a video of me driving it down Roscoe Boulevard that’s pretty funny. I was really just trying to not get hit, I wasn’t looking at other faces.”
What do you think of the car? Continue the conversation on Twitter @mattydunn11.
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