[DeTomaso] 5-0 Pantera

[hoppe1]

OK I have number 1301 pushbutton.  I have owned since 1981.   I am not the 
expert but my understanding since 1981 was that Detomaso was building cars 
in europe.  Ford was not suppose to sell the cars only provide engines.  I 
heard there was a plane crash where many of the Import execs that were 
suppose to distribute the cars died.  Detomaso said if you want them in the 
US you have to import and sell through Ford.  Ford said yes and they took 
about 75 transformed euro cars to use as show cars or dealer cars to start 
the hype.  This gave Ford time to help build an assembly line and do 
testing.
Next we can talk about Strope and his work to do retro fixes on the early 
cars, which mine has. Like different suspension geometry that makes them 
handle better and an aluminum gas tank that is wrapped in fiberglass for 
some kind of safety reason etc.

Early cars are like early euro cars and are quite different than the normal 
US production ones.  With the current cooling etc mods they are as good but 
more unique than all other cars.

Rich
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <JDeRyke at aol.com>
To: <michael at michaelshortt.com>
Cc: <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 11:08 AM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] 5-0 Pantera


> The serial numbers are only approximately sequential. No one actually 
> knows
> for sure, but the construction of small-production-number Italian cars is
> usually described as "Chaotic" and from whats been published, that 
> certainly fits
> the pushbutton Pantera build-scene at Vignale, before Ford put its own
> management in place. Combine this with DeTomaso's habit of never throwing 
> anything
> away that he could sell, hence cars with defects or even crashed machines 
> or
> parts therof might have been recycled or serial numbers reassigned, and 
> you have
> scrambled serial numbers/build-dates. Note that Beverly Hall has (or once 
> had)
> a beautiful gray pushbutton Pantera serial # 1350- pictured in Rasmussen's
> 'Panteras for the Road' book. FWIW- J DeRyke
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