DeTomaso Mailing List: May 98, Message #199

Richard wrote:

Paul & Cathy,

I have a "factory" 1974 GTS which does have "GT" in the serial number:
"THGTPL07080".  I have read that around 97 were made. Hovever, Mike Drew
tells me that 150 or so GTS's were made and around 97 had "GT" in the
VIN.

>>>Right, this info comes from DeTomaso registry author and POCA 
historian Bill Van Ess (who is being dragged kicking and screaming into 
the latter half of the 20th Century, and should be on-line and on this 
forum within a few months.)

To clarify, about 150 *U.S.* GTS Panteras were made, and Richard's is 
one of them.  Strictly a cosmetic package, no performance upgrades.  
Nobody knows how many *EURO* GTS cars were made; these DID have some 
worthwhile performance upgrades.  Hallmarks of a Euro GTS:

1)  Vented brake rotors with stock calipers (some)
2)  Holley carb instead of Motorcraft; also, did they use an aluminum 
intake?  I think so, can't remember offhand...
3)  Tube exhaust system with 4-into-2-into-1 headers and larger diameter 
tailpipes
4) Radio aerial in the center of the roof, angled to the rear; about 4 
inches back from the windshield opening (this may be common to ALL Euro 
Panteras)
5) Cosmetics:  Pantera GTS metal script at rear; Veglia clock in dash 
above glovebox; gauges in Italian; switches had pictures of a headlight, 
fan blade, overhead light, instead of the English words FAN, LIGHTS, 
etc.; cars were normally painted any of the common Pantera colors, with 
black hood, black decklid, black up to the crease in the center of the 
door, and all chrome trim blacked out; Script at the bottom of the door 
says DETOMASO, with a smaller PANTERA and GTS at the rear (note; 
sometimes the factory applied the graphics incorrectly, and the PANTERA 
and GTS appeared at the front!); most but not all Euro GTS cars had 
small riveted-on fender flares; Momo Prototipo three-spoke steering 
wheel with GTS center logo (also GTS center logo on gearshift knob and 
wheel centers); '71-'72 Euro GTS had Pre-L bumpers painted black; at 
some point ('74?) the one piece U.S. bumper was used with two-piece 
bumpers up front (turn signals were incorporated into the body as with 
the L-model; the front bumpers were simple blades)
6) Supposedly they used a different 4th gear ratio; I don't know what it 
was.
7)  Also, supposedly the steering rack was repositioned with the Group 4 
shim kit (a simple pair of spacers that mounted between the rack and the 
body, to lower the rack and help eliminate bump-steer)
8)  10" wheels were NOT standard but were available as an option, 
normally sold in conjunction with the "GTS" 7/8" rear sway bar

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.  Based on the info 
already in the registry, I'm pretty sure the car you're looking at IS a 
true Euro GTS.  Realistically, you'll see virtually no performance 
advantage today, since most U.S. cars have been tweaked to the point 
where they're equivilant to a Euro car.  But it's still neat to have one 
different from most of the rest!

Mike

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