The project, which reinterprets the legendary De Tomaso Pantera sportscar, is the first bigger scale programme from ARES Design, a company that was set up three years ago by former Lotus CEO Danny Bahar to tap into what he believes is a rapidly growing demand for bespoke cars.

ARES has already developed several one-off models on different platforms but hopes to now build 21 units of the Project Panther.

The Panther is based on the underpinnings of Lamborghini’s Huracán, which can still be seen, especially in the side profile of the car, and ARES plans to use the versatile mid-engined sportscar for further projects.

The project has been well executed and the designers have resisted the usual temptation to over embellish, especially with the clean front clip, meaning it's well placed to stand the test of time. It also draws on the original to revive pop up headlights.

In fact as ARES chased the original, the A-pillar has been moved back by 10 cm to better recreate the feel of the Pantera, although the fixing points remain the same, and in overall dimension terms the car is 10 cm longer than the Huracán as well as being slightly wider and higher.

It's not just a project that's focused on visual appearance and a reworked cabin but the Modena-based company has also tuned up the production 5.2-litre V10 powertrain, which now comes with 648 hp, up from the Huracán, while 0-100 km/h will come in at under 3.5 seconds. The Project Panther conversion costs 515,000 euros.

At the end of last year ARES Design announced its brand-new design and production headquarters in Modena as well as a couple of one off projects – the X-Raid and the Design Coupe for the Bentley Mulsanne.

It also has an exciting project currently on the go to reinterpret the Ferrari 412,this time on the underpinnings of the contemporary GTC4Lusso, as well as ambitious plans to build convertible and station wagon versions of Tesla electric cars. Another project now underway at ARES Design is the creation of 53 special units of Land Rover's Defender which is being realised in partnership with a British tuner that's specialist in the off road brand, JE Motorworks.

While he was Lotus CEO Bahar wasn't short of bold plans and it seems his enthusiasm for the bigger ideas hasn't been dimmed despite the turmoil of that short period. Before Lotus he was at Maranello where he earned a strong reputation in the industry.

ARES also confirmed late last year that its first new project to be wholly designed, engineered and built in the new factory in 2018 would be the Project Panther.

“Project Panther sits within ARES’ core service of 'Bespoke Creations': very limited-run exquisite coach-built cars that aim to bring client dreams to life with superb attention to detail and rapid project delivery from ARES Design’s unique mix of traditional skills and values, and modern engineering and manufacturing technologies,” the company said in a statement at the time.

Project Panther will certainly chime with history as the De Tomaso Pantera is one of the iconic sportscars of automotive design. It was first shown in 1970 and manufactured from 1971 to 1992 with over 7,000 units eventually being built.

The Pantera was designed by Tom Tjaarda when he was working the Ghia studio which was bought out by Ford at the same time (in 1970) and was powered by a Ford-supplied “351 cu in” (5.8-litre V8) engine with 330 hp on tap in a deal with the American OEM that saw it being distributed through stateside Lincoln dealers. Around 5,500 units were shifted by Ford before the deal ended in tears in 1975.

The Pantera continued to use the same Ford engine through most of the rest of its length life and a succession of more powerful and more outlandishly bodykitted versions versions steadily followed.

Despite being unreliable and having many poor qualities, it's regarded as one of the most famous sportscars of the last century – and the perfect project for an ambitious concern like ARES to reinterpret for the contemporary era.

ARES further explains that its "in-house design team, led by Mihai Panatescu, set-out with one goal in mind: to deliver a future classic that reflects the essence of an iconic cars’ exterior style and marry it with an equally revered existing chassis. The first 2018 car produced under ‘Bespoke Creations’ will be a stunning supercar that takes inspiration from the De Tomaso Pantera and combines with one of the truly great modern chassis.”

Project Panther originally started off as a one-off creation to meet the demand of a customer, however that plan, with the permission of the customer, grew into plans for a handful and then to a run of 21 cars, with the company saying this month that it has taken deposits for a number of the build run already.

“This factory and Project Panther give a clear sign of our intent to design, engineer and produce the world’s most stunning bespoke and coach-built cars,” said Bahar. “We started ARES three years ago with unprecedented demand to work on the personalisation of clients’ cars, and have satisfied well over 200 customers with unique interiors, exterior design elements, bodywork engineering and performance upgrades.

"Our new Modena facility allows us to move above and beyond this normal personalisation service, bringing together new design and engineering technologies, teams of skilled craftsmen, and passionate experts who have joined us from local supercar businesses.

“We’re not restricted by corporate processes or fixed views on how ‘our’ cars should be seen, nor are we limited by technology and facilities that restrict what we can do for customers. Our new facility in Modena works perfectly for the growing market of special requests from car enthusiasts and Project Panther is the first of a portfolio of cars.”

Bahar continued: “Our strategy is unique in the automotive world: no other business – whether OEM, styling house, or personalisation specialists - offers the full range of services from personalisation to full coach-building under one roof with a growing global network of market specialists that we believe satisfies every possible customer desire. Project Panther feels right now like our “halo car”, but I can guarantee there is much more to come in 2018!” 

Photos: ARES Design "Project Panther"