DeTomaso Mailing List: February 1997, Message #24
     



From: ingate@shiseis.com (Shane F. Ingate)

Subject: "Pushbutton Pantera's"

Date: Mon, 3 Feb 97 10:29:26 PST



Asa,



Welcome to the list!  To answer a few of your questions,

the "pushbutton" model was the first year of Pantera's, 1971.  They

changed to the more familiar handle pulls in 1972 ( dont know the

exact date or VIN code).  The most authoritative work on this

is the book "DeTomaso: The Man and the Machines", Wallace

Alfred Wyss, 1991 (ISBN 0-9629682-0-X), available from Pantera

International or Gary Hall.  Wyss also tells us that the '71

Kitty was the most powerful evocation of the breed.



If there are several Pantera's in Spokane, WA, then if

I were you, I'd try to hunt them down.  Put an ad in the classifieds

(car section).  You may make some new friends that way.  Other new

friends will come via joining POCA and PI.



The Pantera is a much modded Italian hot-rod.  Rest assured

that if its been done to a Mustang, its been done to a Pantera.

There are several FI *kits* out there, the one that sends shivvers

down my spine (because I saw it racing at Las Vegas last year) is from

a shop out in Colorado (I forget which one....I'll look it up).

Back issues of POCA and PI 1/4ly's will also be a help here.



As for *goodies*, they are all available from Gary Hall

(has an illustrated catalog) and many of the other vendors (see

http://www.horizon.com/~ingate/pantera4.html) but my suggestion would

be to decide upon the look and then look for that particular car.

To add wingz'n'things costs a bomb.  And because removing them costs

just as much, be very sure that this is what you want.  IMHO, the best

route is to buy the best car you can, work on the mecahical things to

make it reliable and the way you want, and leave cosmetics till last.



Enjoy!



Shane Ingate in San Diego