[DeTomaso] New Web Site: DeTomaso Mobile

[Mark McWhinney]

The new web site is for Pantera and other DeTomaso car owners on the go who
need access to information such as part numbers while visiting a parts store
or emergency information while stuck on the side of the road.  

The problem with the existing web sites is that the critical information is
too spread out and is not well formatted for the cell phones' small screens,
limited HTML functions, and slow connections.  The new site is purpose built
for cell phone web browsers and other mobile browsers.  It puts the
information that Pantera owners need literally at their finger tips.

The crown jewel of Pantera information, of course, is the SOBill's Gearhead
database with more than 7,000 lines of information that Bill has collected
over the years.  I have parsed out the data and built a set of 450 web pages
indexed by topic.  The pages are suitable for access on a cell phone.  I
have also built a search engine for it.

The site has a set of contact numbers of all the Pantera vendors.  I also
included the number for AAA, but that number may only be good for
California.  (If people in other parts of the country and internationally
will send me their respective emergency auto club phone numbers, I will add
them to the list.)

If you click on a phone number link, your phone will automatically dial the
number.  (I am not familiar with placing international calls, so the link to
Jäckel may not work right.)

The site also has a section for the SOBill electrical diagrams which are
very helpful for diagnosing and fix problems on the side of the road.  Since
it takes some effort to convert the PDF format diagrams into a format that
displays OK on cell phones, I have just converted one diagram so far into
gif, jpeg, and png formats.  If this diagram is readable and useful, I will
convert the rest.

Currently, the rest of the web site's content is a little thin.  I am hoping
that the Pantera community can step forward with additional info for the
site.  For example, a few bulleted tips about towing would be helpful.

To see the site, enter http://detomaso.mobi in your cell phone's web browser
(there is no ".com")  You can also see the site from your PC's web browser.

You should bookmark the web site on your cell phone now, so that you do not
have to remember it when you are stuck on the side of the road sometime in
the future.