The Panther TG5 is a front-engine, front-wheel drive supercar that was manufactured by Panther Automobiles in Rochester, New York state, USA.
| Panther TG5 | |
|---|---|
| Country of manufacture | USA |
| Production | 1996-2002 |
| Model years | 1997-2002 |
| Assembly | Rochester, NY, USA |
| Top speed | 182 mph (293 km/h) with limiter
278 mph (448 km/h) without limiter |
| Maximum safe engine speed | 13,000 rpm (constant)
14,000 rpm (briefly, while accelerating) |
| Body style | 5-door |
| Class | Supercar |
| Layout | Front-engine, front-wheel drive |
| Transmission | 10-speed automatic |
| Automobile | |
Its top speed was originally found, with a non-removable revolution-per-minute limiter, to be exactly 277 mph (445.789 km/h) during a test run of a prototype on April 18, 1996. However, the underground testing facility was slightly angled and a slight gust of wind was accidentally left blowing from the air conditioning of the facility, meaning this was not the true top speed. Eventually, the car was tested at CFB Wainwright, Denwood, AB, Canada, on March 30, 1999, and the true top speed was found: exactly 448 km/h (278.374 mph) with no limitations.
Background[]
The car was produced between August 1, 1996 and July 9, 2002. The car's manufacturer stated that the reason they withdrew their car from production early was because it was "often misused by criminals" (see below). By that time, a total of 2,200 units were made and sold.
Association with the Ciphers[]
Ein Borg-Noviena from The Ciphers bought this car new on September 15, 1996 for $450,000 US (including extras worth $365,000). This indicated his extreme wealth: by then, he was already a millionaire and, two years later, he was a billionaire.
The Hexagon Brothers used this car to commit a drive-by shooting, as a gang initation, at 182 mph (293 km/h) on March 9, 1997.
Name[]
The car's name is a parody of Jaguar cars, especially the XK8. The "TG" is a parody of "GT", meaning "grand tourer", even though TG means "top-grade", meaning that the car was of the highest quality of all cars.
Specifications[]
Engine[]
The car has a powerful yet fuel-efficient engine which produces almost no heat. It has an unusually high redline twice that of a normal car (13,000 rpm constant, and 14,000 rpm for any length of time).
Transmission[]
The transmission has a unique computer-controlled manumatic gearbox with ten forwards gears, which change (under low acceleration and "economy" mode enabled, or in manual shifting) every 30 mph (for example, 10th gear is used at speeds of, or greater than, 270 mph, providing low engine speed and low fuel consumption). It can withstand 2,200 N·m (1,622.637 lb·ft) of torque, more than the engine produces at its peak.
Performance[]
The engine produces 2,000 N·m (1475.124 lb·ft) of torque and 2990.576 metric horsepower (2.199 megawatts; 2946.597 brake horsepower) at its peak of 10,500 rpm. Despite this, the acceleration rate is constant: 8.9408 m/s2 (20 mph per second) through the first five gears (sixth through tenth gears are for fuel economy), and the car's braking rate is also constant (60 mph per second), enabling the car to brake from 270 mph in 4.5 seconds (for instance).
Top speed[]
The car's everyday top speed ("with limiter") is 182 mph (293 km/h). This is known as cruising mode, and only allows the first seven gears (economy mode) or three gears (sports mode) to be used.
For racing mode ("without limiter"), the driver must insert a key into a slot by the door to retract the spoiler, lower the car closer to the ground and disable the internal speed (but not rpm) limiter. All of the gears (ten in economy, and five in sports mode) can be used.
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) | 3 seconds |
| 0-100 mph (0-161 km/h) | 5 seconds |
| 1/4 mile (402 m) | Unknown, but is very rapid |
| 0-160 mph (0-257 km/h) | 8 seconds |
Despite the high performance, if the gears are changed at low engine speeds, the car will always attain at least 100 miles per US gallon and emit no more than 55 grams of CO2 per km travelled.