DeTomaso Mailing List: November 99, Message #180

In a message dated 11/7/99 22:03:28, detomaso_pantera@hotmail.com wrote:

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>>>Yes, this is the well-known ADA racing Pantera.  This car was a full-up 
street car with leather interior, CD player etc. when ADA Engineering of 
England purchased it new in 1992 (I think.)  They drove it back to England 
and gutted it, intending to build a Le Mans winner.

They built a damn fine race car, but unfortunately their efforts at Le Mans 
were hampered by a lack of finances and fate.  At one point the car was 
running strong when the driver spun it into the gravel.  Frustrated with 
himself, he jammed it into reverse at high RPM with no clutch, and chipped a 
tooth.  A few laps later the gearbox ate itself, luckily the car limped to 
the pits and they were able to perform a gearbox change and get back on the 
road.  Losing three hours to this task meant that a win was out of the 
question, but at least they finished.

ADA ran out of money so the car was sold to SuperPower, a company that had 
risen from the ashes of the defunct RAM Formula 1 team.  SuperPower figured 
they could walk all over everybody at Le Mans, but others didn't see it that 
way so sponsors stayed away in droves.  Disappointed, they instead raced the 
car domestically in the UK's British Racing Driver Club series (sort of their 
equivilant to the SCCA) and won the national championship in 1995.

SuperPower then folded their tent, and the car languished on the market for 
some time.  I believe the asking price was 75,000 pounds (or about $125,000, 
a relative bargain when you consider that the original, stock Pantera 200 
cost more than that!)  I was told that it was sold to fellows who were 
running it in a very lame all-Italian series, against 3-liter Alfas, etc.

Neat car. I was just daydreaming the other day about how nice it would be to 
have that in my garage to run at Silver State! :>)

Mike