Pantera Pics from the early days
 

This is a pic. from the start of the Miami Bacardi race in 1979.

Regards, JO

This pic. is on the way to the Bahamas in a 28 with triple 2.4 Mercs.My Father won the Production Class 2 with APBA in 1979 with this boat.

JO

This pic. was from the first ever Miami to Holiday Isle race in 1979.We won this race overall.

JO

This is the pic from the Holiday Isle race.


JO

This is Boat # 001.This was the first 24 Pantera ever built.It was 1974.It was powered with a Ford 351 Commander and Volvo 270 outdrive.The boat was Black and White and ran like a Champ.

29 years later and still running like a champ.


Regards, JO

On the First picture going out Goverment cut if you look by the big ship there is a yellow boat number P- 24 that is John Carbonell from Super Boat International fame.

My Father is running the M-24 28 with triples and P-22 is a 24 Pantera.

I will post more pics. next week.


Regards, JO

This is a 1980 24 Pantera powered by twin 235 HP Johnson outboards.This picture was taken coming back from Bimini right outside the Miami shore.This customer is a good friend of the family and has owned and raced many Panteras.That is a picture of him in 1980.His name is Marshall Ives and he is very well known in the boat racing circuit for many years.


JO:)

This Picture was taken at The Holiday Isle race in 1979 in the Florida Keys.

My Father got first place overall.

The pic. shows My Father, Mother,Sister and I.I was 8 years old at the time.


JO :)

This Picture was taken this year (2002).

The picture speaks for itself.


Regards, JO

This is a picture of My Father arriving in New York after Breaking the Miami To New York outboard record in a 24 footer with the number 2 and 3 2.4 Outboard Merc. ever built.

This was a very important accomplishment for Pantera Boats at the time.

JO

This is a 24 My Father raced at one race in 1978.It was sponsored by TV 6 news channel and had a top speed of 64 MPH with a 454 330 HP Package.


JO

This is a pic of a customer of ours by the name of Leo Gates in a 1977 Pantera 24 racing in a Ft. Lauderdale National race.It was powered with a 454-330 HP Package from Mercruiser.


JO

This is a picture from a National race in Free Port, New York in 1979 with two 28 Panteras with triple outboards and a 24 Pantera with a single I/0 getting ready to do battle out in the Ocean.


JO

This is a pic. turning on a checkpoint out near Bimini and heading back toward Miami.

Here is the Pic.

JO

HUGE Thumbs up Jo!!!!! Thanks for the pics I love them.:) :) :)

Cool pics, Jo.

Its nice to know that the same people we see in those pics are still the same ones there today. Not many companies can say that and your whole family should be proud of all their accomplishments.

BTW, I tried the 24" B1 prop and it was bumping the rev limiter at 5300+rpms with a full tank of fuel. Slip was still way high at 25+% I'm getting rid of the nose cone lower case and having all my lower internals put into a stock Bravo case this week. Hopefully that will get me started in the right direction or at least eliminate a possibility for the high slip #'s. Thanks for all the help on the phone.

This is a 1979 24 footer in Switzerland.We did many like this that went to Europe in the late 70s and Early 80s.

JO

This is a picture of the first 2 24 Panteras racing each other in 1976.

My Father is in Mister Macho and the white boat in the background is a customer of ours in another 24 Pantera.

JO

This is a picture of a 1992 28 with a 6 man bolster and custom paint powered with twin 250 Yamahas.This pic. was taken in St. Tropez . France.

Here is the pic. of the 24s.

Let me try again.

This is a Polaroid of the first enclopsed canopy race boat in History.

It was a 28 we built in 1985 powered with twin 650 HP small blocks from United racing .It had Recaro sit down race seats shock absorbed mounted,Air tanks in the cockpit, and 5 point harnesses.

We took this boat to the APBA race in 1985 here in Miami and they told us it was to far ahead of its time.Afew months later a few superboats had the same concept.We got credit for being the innovators in this race technology.

JO

This is a 1992 Pantera 24 that won the Sweden Touring class championship and went undefeated the entire year.It was powered with a 450 HP small block built by Hawk Marine Power.It also had a foot throttle and race sit down seats.

JO

This is a 1976 24 Pantera at the Chicago Boat show.It was powered with a 454-330 HP Mercruiser package with a turbocharger.

We sold 18 Boats at this show and launched Pantera to what it is today.Brown and Tan were popular colors at the time.


JO

This is a picture of the 3 rd Pantera 28 ever built ( #003 ).It was a 1978 model powered with triple 2.4 Mercs.It was called Boats Unlimited.This boat is still around located in Upstate N.Y. and powered with triple 2.5 Mercs.

This is a 1985 28 footer here at a Miami race in 1985.It was powered by twin 600 HP small blocks from United Racing.

JO

This is a picture of My Father and Mother in 1978 at a boat race on my Fathers 24 foot race boat.It was powered with a 482 CI 550 HP Big block with headers facing out the sides and a TRS drive.Back then this 24 would run a real 82 MPH.It won many races.The entire boat was black and silver.

JO

Trying again with the 1985 28 footer with twin small blocks.

JO

This a 1982 28 Pantera powered with twin Mariner outboards.This picture was taken In Puerto Rico in 1990.This boat won the Stock Class Championship over there and is still racing now. The water is always rough over there .

Many Panteras have won races and Championships over there over the years.

JO

What a great thread! Keep-um coming:D

Definitely a good history lesson on the early years of Panteras. Keep posting.

Its funny, but the graphics on the 78' Boat Unlimited is very similiar to the ones use by Sonic in the late 80's early 90's (just flipped around).

Most excellent :)...Thanks for the history and pictures. Glad to see someone like yourself take interest in a family business. The memories will continue and will not be forgotten.

This is a picture of the 24 my Father broke the Miami to New York record in 1978 with.

It was powered with the number 2 and 3 2.4 Merc. outboard ever built.This photo was taken at Lake X while testing props and doing R and D work with the Mercury techs.


JO

This is a picture of our building while we were located in famed 188th st. next door to Cigarette ( Thunder Boat Row ).We were at this location for 4 years between 1990-1994.

Since then we have been located 5 minutes South on 141 St. at the original Formulas Boat plant.

JO

This is a picture of the actual check that my Father Won for 1st place in the Miami race in 1978. It was given to us by OPBRA the oldest race club in the United States.

We decided to keep the check and not cash it since we figured it would be valuable to us one day.

25 Years later and here it is.

JO

This is a side shot of the 24 I previously posted that Won the Championship in Sweden.


JO

Pantera
 

FANTASTIC photo history.....
The first Performance boat I ever rode in was a 24' Pantera (bought a 24' Condor a mere 13 years later, couldn't find a Pantera...remarkably similar older hulls)..you got me hooked! Thanks for the "guidance".

JO,

Thanks for sharing those pics...It's great seeing some of the old boats from the 70's and 80's!