DeTomaso Mailing List: February 99, Message #34

All,

I received the following from a Drgrace351@aol.com:


 >To whom it may Concern. You may be interested to know that I rode in a 1970
 >Pantera detomoso that had a five speed trans and a 429 Ford DeTomoso engine
 >that was 500 horse special order. Yoy might want to do a little more research
 >before you state that it was introduced in the U.S. in 1971 with a 351
 >cleveland motor. Have a nice Day

I replied with:

Dear Anonymous,

Thats an interesting observation that you make.  According to Wally Wyss
(author of the book "DeTomaso: The Man and the Machine", Ford, DOT and
Tom Tjaarda, the first Pantera to enter the US was not until mid 1971.
The car never existed until early 1970 when Tjaarda was commissioned
to design a mid-engined car for Ford using the Cleveland.  The name
Pantera was not even given the car until May 1971.

Furthemore, the factory states that it built only one V8,
in the early 1960s.  This was a double overhead cam
motor of around 5 lites displacement, but was never started, and
probably never would.  It is on display at the DeTomaso factory today.

Perhaps what you rode it was a Mangusta.  And the motor was likley
a Ford Police Special, though there are no records for a motor
transplant of this kind into a Mangusta (space is a problem, the 429
is a lot larger than the 302 it was designed for).

Perhaps you could shed some light on this matter, as I
am sure there are many historians who would find this fact most
fascinating.

I look forward to obtaining factual information from you.

        Shane Ingate
        Membership Direector
        Pantera Owners Club of America


I may not be 100% factual (I hate know-it-alls) but Mr Anonymous' 
information, even if partially trus, is interesting.  Was there ever 
a big-block 'Goose?

Of course, Mr Anonymous has yet to write back.

	Shane