A Man and his Car Series: Al Axelrod going on 33 Years with one Pantera.
By Wallace Wyss
They say after many years of marriage a couple tends to look alike.
So far, after a 34-year “marriage” to his Pantera, Al Axelrod hasn’t yet taken on a silver patina (except for a wee bit of gray around the temples…) like his Pantera, but it could happen.
Why so long with one car?
“It meets my needs as far as an exotic,” says Axelrod, who for 24 years ran his own shop adjacent to Beverly Hills servicing special interest and exotic cars.
Axelrod now lives in Centennial, Colorado, where, even though he’s in his mid 70’s, he still looks forward to each ski season, especially at Copper Mountain and Vail, let alone A-Basin and Winter Park.
But when there’s no snow on the ground, for entertainment, he drives his 1972 Pantera. (or maybe his ‘32 Ford street rod stake truck) “I bought the Pantera with 26k miles on it, fried engine and all, back in 1976,” he recalls after maintaining it for the original owner who purchased it at a Lincoln-Mercury dealer in Hollywood and refused to take it back there for “warrantee” work.
Hey, if you're 75 and you're still skiing, then you can handle a rip-roarin' sports car like a Pantera.
“I had looked at several and knew not to get the very early ones which had cooling problems and some detail issues needing upgrading. By the time mine (mid 72) was made they had sorted all that out.”