[DeTomaso] [SPAM] Our New Long Island member is running inthe "Gumdrop Ralley"

[Charles Engles]

Dear Chris,


            Excellent detective work.  I feel redeemed that your diligent sleuthing didn't locate the mysterious Hopkins brothers.   It does definitely reinforce that they apparently knew what they were doing with that Pantera and they weren't amateurs nor poseurs.   Maybe someone in Southern California will see this and be able to provide the "lead to crack this case."    I look forward to your article.

                          
                       Warmest regards, Chuck Engles

                             



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Clark Family" <cclark at ix.netcom.com>
To: "Charles Engles" <cengles at cox.net>
Cc: <adin at frontier.net>; <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2009 11:05 PM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] [SPAM] Our New Long Island member is running inthe "Gumdrop Ralley"


> Regarding the Cannonball Run Pantera...
> 
> Out of curiosity for an article for the newsletter, I contacted Brock
> Yates about the Hopkins team after reading his book 'Cannonball'
> last year.  He was nice enough to write back and said he has no
> pictures and didn't have contact info.
> 
> Using clues from the book I found that Danny Hopkins ran Can Am in
> 1973 for the Commander Motorhomes team.  Here is a page with a
> picture of him in the #98 McLaren M8F.  Commander and Danny only
> ran in 1973, they brought Mario Andretti on that team too.
> 
> http://forums.autosport.com/printthread.php?threadid=90595
> 
> More photos here:
> 
> http://www.yesterdaysneuz.com/1973%20CanAm/index.htm
> 
> Here is his whole racing history:
> 
> http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/racelist2.php?uniqid=14108
> 
> 
> Then the trail goes cold.  The book is a fun read.
> -Chris
> 
> 
> 
> Charles Engles wrote:
>>Dear David,
>> 
>>Oh, oh!   I think I know:   They were brothers from southern California with a family 
>>fortune in construction (I think)   They ran one of the first, if not
> the first Pantera,
>>Panteras in the original Brock Yates Cannonball Run.  IIRC, they ran
> only one year.   I
>>don't think that they finished.  I tried to locate them to no avail.  I
> have no idea where
>>the car is now.   Is that right?
>> 
>> 
>>                       Warmest regards, Chuck Engles
>> 
>