When is a Dolomite, not a Dolomite?  When it's Panther Rio.

The Panther Rio was the result of an attempt to market a small luxury car in response to the petrol crisis and the economic slump of the 1970s.  The basis of the car is a Dolomite but with hand-beaten alloy outer panels and weights considerably less than the equivalent Triumph, even when packed with goodies such as air conditioning, leather, electric windows, TV, drinks cabinet, etc.

Unfortunately the Rio did not sell as well as hoped.  A 100 unit order for H.R. Owen was never finalised and car was really too expensive for its size to be a serious consideration for most potential customers.  In the end only 12 cars were produced, 5 based on the Dolomite 1850 known only as Rio and 7 Especials that were based on the Sprint.

This car, a Rio Especial, was first registered on the 9th February 1977 and was first owned by a company in Leicester.  The second owner acquired the car on the 13th September 1979 and used it for a while before putting it into storage.  It returned to the road for 6 months in 1998 before being put back into storage again.

The current owner, who is based in Essex, brought it from Dorset in February 2009.  It was not running and had no MOT.  Within a few months the car has now been returned to the road and has covered a total of 35000 miles.