[DeTomaso] Pushbutton

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/12/07 16 59 35, gow2 at rc-tech.net writes:


> My 1972 Pushbutton is #1280
> 

Your 1972 pushbutton isn't a 1972.   It's an early 1971 that wasn't sold (and 
thus wasn't titled) until 1972.   Transmogrify the characters in the VIN and 
it will tell you when it was built--probably mid '71.

Apparently De Tomaso was already building cars before the crash tests were 
conducted, and the early cars failed miserably.   Ford thus couldn't import 
them, and they were set to the side, for De Tomaso to later foist upon an 
unsuspecting European market.   I was astonished when I took a good hard look at #1256 
and saw how much critically necessary structure was simply missing from the 
chassis.   I'm talking about the area directly underneath and ahead of the 
heater box.   The early cars fell apart like a soup sandwich when driven into a 
barrier, and the center of the chassis in the cabin area was substantially 
reinforced to correct the problems.

All the French pushbutton cars I've seen are similar--they are in roughly the 
same serial number range (1200s), and oddly they have round bumperettes and 
two-slot wheels, but everything else is EARLY early.   I suspect they might 
have been 95% complete when 'new', left sitting at the factory, and were hastily 
finished off in 1972 when they were ordered by French customers (or on spec by 
the French dealer) with whatever bits and pieces were currently in use at the 
time.

Does your #1280 have round bumpers and two-slot wheels?   And what is its 
European history?

Mike


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