Hi,
I am interested in building a Locost car, having had a look around the web I found the GTS Panther which looks like a good option for me.
I have ordered Ron Chapmans book but before I go ahead and order the Panther Deluxe Starter Kit I thought I would ask if anyone had any useful information which I should know about.
GTS have a good website and I am keen to know what experiences people have had with them and how people rate the kits especially the Panther kit?
Thanks any feedback would be appreciated,
David

where are you in the uk

i personaly love the panther from gts

although in the past some members on this site have suffered from delivery problems, but to be honest all kit suppliers are the same some worse than others

best of luck and get building soon.

oh and dont forget theres a dedicated gts forum as well as locostbuilders



[Edited on 13/5/07 by graememk]

Welcome to the site. It's not very often I post in this section but you should take a look at this thread calvinx's car
Mark will no doubt be along to tell you all about it but as I've seen it in the flesh I can tell you its a well built kit with substantial bodywork (couldn't see any blemishes in it from the first time I saw it). It really looks as good as it does in the photo's. The only thing I have against it is the raspy farty bike engine he's installed since he moved to the dark side

[Edited on 13/5/07 by omega 24 v6]

yes the panther is a nice looking car, see flak monkey, he will tell you a thing or too about them.

GTS parts are good quality, that's why i chose to pay for quite a few pounds worth of them; however the posts above are economical with the truth and do not fully explain 'problems with delivery'!!!!!

do a comprehensive search on here regarding 'personal issues' and in my experience, believe every one of them

if you are planning to spend your hard earned cash, make sure

1. the company doesnt only pay attention before theyve got you money
2. they have a proven track record of acting within the law (consumer credit act sec 75)
3. you fully trust the company to supply the parts in good condition and on time and if you have a prob - that they will sort it out

doesnt work for me to say generally theres problems with the kc industry and theyre all as bad as oneanother - be very aware about who you are giving your cash to!!!!

I agree you should be aware but I think people do take it a bit personally with GTS on the site here. The other manufacturers are just as bad (some probably) worse but for whatever reason you don't here people ranting about them.
Personally I like the panther, I think its looks good, its strong and well designed and for the price you just couldn't beat it on value for money. I seem to remember Marks being powder coated which he wasn't expecting but Darren said that its not an option and is included in the price. I had to pay £150 extra to Tiger to do this - and TBH its not the best job I've seen.
So don't take the rants on here to literally. I would suggest phoning them up having a chat and if your worried order something from them small like the build manual and see what hapens. If it doesn't turn up they're shooting themselves in the foot! If it does (which I strongly suspect it would - and quickly) then great. Oli.

Don't be a sheep - make up your own mind!

Well I would say have a look at my website, but the server is down at the moment [Its back now! ]

I basically chose the panther because I liked the look of it, there are a few nice features (quick camber adjuster for instance), the bodywork fit is very good, the price was right, th quality is second to none, and after talking to Darren at the shows he seemed very helpful and knowledgeable.

Price wise, I am a student, so mines been built on a budget. Its cost about £5500 to build, so will be under £6k on the road.

There are loads of pictures in my archive on here, in the build folder, showing the progression of my Panther build, and until my sites back up, they will have to do you

Mark's car is a stunning example of a bike engined Panther. I am sure there was a thread in this section not long ago about it being finished.

As for the delivery problems with GTS, I can only go from experience. When I ordered my kit I gave a date that I wanted it by, I got a call 2 weeks before that date telling me it was ready to collect and I could go and get it any time. Mail order wise, never waited overly long for anything to be delivered.

I think Darren put some testamonials up on the site somewhere.

Here's a pic of my very yellow Panther.




David

[Edited on 14/5/07 by flak monkey]

Hi,

Thanks very much to everyone for all the feedback, which has been very useful.

I spoke to Darren this afternoon and he seems like a genuine guy. I asked him lots of questions and he was very helpful.

In fact I was so impressed I did a deal and paid the deposit on a Panther deluxe kit.

So, I'm to far in to change my mind, I even came clean with the wife who seems reasonably OK'ish with it, so far......

Fingers crossed in about 6 weeks I will be up to my neck in bits that I have no idea what to do with.

Now I need to find a doner Sierra so if anyone has any info or advice that could help please please let me know (model to go for, where to find one stuff like that).

Cheers,

David

Good choice, welcome to the GTS family, hope you have as much fun building as I have

David

Panther is one of the better looking sevens imo, it was a contender for me in my latest build.
I had a westy pre-lit before, and it seemed closer to the oldschool low line bodywork



Some of the newer seven reps look bulkier.
My Indy seems well proprtioned, but is significantly bigger than my old pre-lit.
A good thing for me being 6'2" and a largish build.
I had a tiny steering wheel in the last car and it still hit my legs lol.

Pez

Hi,

You guys certainly have some really nice cars and thanks for all the support, this is a great forum, flat money your web site
is hugely interesting and thanks for that too.

I have gone for a silver colour, the engine will depend on how my money goes, I am looking for a 2.0l Sierra doner car but if finances allow me I would like to install a mondeo 2.0l Zetec.

Basically I don't have anything yet so it kind of depends what comes along over the next couple of months.

Originally I didn't think the Sierra 2.0l DOHC engine would fit but Darrens says it does therefore if I can not afford a Zetec (plus wiring and ECU) I will try and use the doner Sierra's 2.0l engine.

If this a bad plan or you know differnet please let me know.

Thanks,

David

The DOHC engine is ok, ish. You can't tune it cheaply though, and its even heavier than the pinto. But if you cannot afford to use anything else then it will fit in the GTS as it has slightly taller bodywork than std.

If you cannot afford to use a zetec, but want something tuneable, then you could always go back to the good old pinto. I paid £30 for my engine, and £20 for the gearbox. So its a cheap option, and the tuning parts are many and varied, with plenty of second hand parts available from ebay to suit. And it fits under the bodywork, though you will need to modify the sump and rocker cover. My engine has been completely rebuilt, lightened flywheel, fast road cam, mildly ported head and DCOEs for under £500.

Bike engines are great if you want a track car, with a sequential gearbox and that revs fast and high. They give great power to weight as the engine complete with box usually outputs anywhere between 100-180bhp and all for less than the weight of a car engine. In my opinion (and its only an opinion) the disadvantages are mainly to do with road use, they rev high at cruising speeds, which can be tiring. The clutches are pretty snappy, which makes traffic a pain. The clutches also arent designed to lug around half a ton, so dont last too long, and neither do the gearboxes, especially if you do a lot of clutchless upshifting. Plus you end up with a car that sounds like a bike, which just isnt my cup of tea.

If there is one tip I can give you, while you are waiting for your kit start collecting and refurbing all of the donor parts, and other odd bits that you will need. My sites got a fairly detailed build diary on, starting with many of the odd bits and then from july 06 starting the proper build.

If you need any help at all at any stage, give us a shout and we will try to sort you out

Best of luck with the build!

David

Welcome!! Now that you have ordered a kit I am sure we will see you on here plenty in the next few months. This site was invaluable in helping myself out with my build and countless others.

Anyway, as flak monkey just said, the DOHC is not a particularly tuneable engine, you can probably get about 150 ponies by putting a tubular exhaust and a cone air filter on it. You can also if you are very lucky get a Turbo Technics turbo (only about 500 made though!) but they come at a cost and still only take you to about 180-190bhp IIRC.

The Engine is tall and is heavy and although it will fit in a panther, it will definately need a sump chop and if you are using EFI, will also need an intake manifold chop or a bonnet scoop to cover the sharp bits.

If when I started my build I had known it would have been as much work as it was, I would have probably gone straight with a Zetec. But, now that I have made a W7DE with a DOHC and driven it a few times, it has taken the edge off the extra pain it gave me.

You might want to check with Darren that a MT75 gearbox (The one that comes with the DOHC) will definately fit a panther tunnel? It only just fits the W7DE tunnel and I am not too sure if the tunnel sizes are the same?

If you do decide to go with a DOHC, then I will offer any help and advice I can. Also paulbuz on here has used this engine and has a few nice piccies in his photo archive.

Anyway, whatever choice of engine you go with, remember, it's your car, so you can change you mind and swap the engine anytime in the future.

Welcome welcome,

Im at the end of my build and just waiting for my SVA date to come through.

If you need to know anything just ask and im sure you will get a helpfull and informative if not a little sharp (calivnx) reply

Welcome to the mad house!!!!!!!!!
I have a panther 2.0L Zetec which I completed and SVA'd about this time last year. See my avatar and photo archive....
If you are thinking of fitting the Zetec engine I wouldn't even bother with a doner car.
You can pick up all the bits you will need for not much more money (and a lot less hassle) from e-bay or this forum.
If you do intend to fit either the ford DOHC or the Pinto then a doner Sierra may be worth it.
Any advice you need never be afraid to ask.
If it's specific to an individual then U2U is a good way to go
For general help the forum stimulates "lively" debate on occasions

[Edited on 15-5-07 by BKLOCO]

Hi,
Thanks for your help.
What is U2U?
Thanks again,
David

At the bottom of every post by users is a button that says U2U on. Its just a private message. Click it, type your message and send. Just make sure you send it to the right person

David