[DeTomaso] Peter-the-GERMAN and AAA Content...Re: AAA Support

Mad Dog Antenucci teampantera at yahoo.com
Mon Feb 2 01:59:47 EST 2009


Heh Slackers,

Speaking of AAA, German's and GUNS I would like to repeat this story for our not-so-serious German friends. . .yea, its a true story although most of you slackers won't believe it. Here's something all of us can be proud of....

His name was Peter Menyhart who I nicknamed "Peter the German". . .Mike Drew, Gray Gregory, Laurie Ferrari and a few others in the Dysfunctional Pantera World met the German in Ely Nevada at the NORC too.  He was a bit of a personality in our dysfunctional De Tomaso world so he fit in great.

"The German" immigrated to America sometime in the mid-60's. Several of you probably remember "The German" at the Silver State Road Race in Nevada or in Palm Springs where he lived and owned for 20 years a large auto repair and body shop. He had a good life in Germany.  He was a self described wild kid who raced and worked on his own Mercedes race car....Yea, that's right....a 4,000 pound Mercedes race car!  

He was first and foremost an "Adventurer".  I used to let him get me drunk just for an excuse to listen to his stories about Hollywood which only got better as we both drank. ;-]>

"The German" came to America with very little money but he had a civil engineering degree from Germany and a DREAM to either race automobiles professionally (he had a F1 license) in America or to work on race cars OR to be a Hollywood stuntman in movies. 

He realized one of those dreams by eventually getting a job as a stuntman working on several movie and TV productions. His expertise was building movie and TV  "falls".  He got hurt in one building 'fall' too many....was hospitalized for a time and had to retire early from the Hollywood Stuntman Association.  His experience with racing and repairing German, Italian and English sports cars in Germany before he came to America got him into the auto repair business after he got out of the hospital and eventually several of us ended up meeting his wife, daughter in Ely back in the 90's when he came to run the Silver State in Nevada.  

Okay, here's where we get into the AAA connection. ;-]>   In one of the 2 or 3 occasions he raced one of two Pantera's at Silver State one of the Pantera's but I can't remember which one 'broke'.   Larry Stock of Pantera Parts Connection was in Ely running his Pantera that year and Larry towed him from Ely to Las Vegas. Then we used The German's, Curt Toumanian, and my AAA cards to tow him the rest of the way from Vegas back to his shop in Palm Springs.. .

Peter was a bit of a bull-headed, opinionated NAZI so we got along great....Okay before ALL you slacker Americans and Germans, be you right or left wing war mongers or liberal tree hugging, never had a life, never got laid in TJ or Bangkok, never been to war, never humped the bush, never raced a Pantera or are born again ACLU liberals write back about how offended you are just know I don't care.....this is about my friend "The German", AAA and racing Pantera's...okay a little about guns too. ;-]>

Peter bought 5 acres that had a small cabin near Joshua Tree. You could not of found a more isolated piece of property....but to The German it was "his RANCH"....... The German had more hand guns, rifles black powder flint locks and a collection of western memorbilia then any guy I know outside of Texas.  

I used to drive out to his 'ranch' near Joshua Tree and took turns killing cactus and plastic water bottles on his 'shooting-range' behind his house where he had used his Bobcat to build a 'shooting berm' and grade his driveway to the closest dirt road which connected to the highway 2 miles away....But Peter had an increidble collection of old Winchesters, Colts, and if it was a GUN you could name it and the The German more then likely  had it.

A couple years ago Peter fell on hard times....His wife died, his teenage son had died a few years earlier in a motorcycle accident....his daughter had run away......he was deeply hurt...got pretty sick, then he got cancer and could not work and essentially dropped out of the Pantera club (far as I know).....he sold his house and repair shop in Palm Springs and moved out to his beloved 'ranch' near Joshua Tree.....so wotz the point here?

Oh yea....some German's love guns AND Pantera's and AAA.   Back in my drinking days there were few men I knew who could drink me under the table.  Peter was a 2-fisted drinker, a proud American who was also proud to be from Germany....and I am proud to call him my friend

So what does this have to do with Politics? Absolutly NOTHING. . .Okay, how is that for WIN-WIN?! ;-)))



Mad Dawg Antenucci 
Team Pantera Racing 
The 1st & still the only vintage race team in open road racing 
www.teampanteraracing.com




________________________________
From: Scott Couchman <scottcouchman at yahoo.com>
To: Asa Jay Laughton <asajay at asajay.com>; Pantera Forum <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 1, 2009 11:34:03 AM
Subject: [DeTomaso] AAA Support

I have AAA 'premium' roadside service that provides for 100 miles for each tow.
I carry my own set of 4 axle straps in the front trunk (too many tow trucks don't carry them).
and I have the business cards of two drivers in my area that have demonstrated extraordinary
skill in getting my Pantera on their flatbeds without damaging my ORR-3" above the ground-
front airdam. With 5 collector cars insured with Hagerty, these AAA tow truck drivers have
saved my bacon more than once. So three simple rules, 1) 100 mile premium service,
2) personal axle straps, 3) carry business cards with you.



      
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