[DeTomaso] Shelby's Pantera

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/10/09 15 17 37, detomasoregistry at gmail.com writes:


> 
> 
> 
> Mike Drew, you probably have quite a bit to add regarding Shelby and these 
> 3 cars?
> 

Well, in looking at the paperwork accompanying the car in question, I see 
that the other two Shelby cars that I know of personally aren't represented.  
 He had a red narrow-body GTS (around 1983-1984 model year I think?) that 
was equipped with a twin-turbo Dodge 340 engine, sold to Paul Donderwinkel of 
London, who later migrated to New Zealand and still owns it (it's in the 
registry).

He also still owns a very sad, decrepit white GT5-S, which has been parked 
in his Goodyear race tire warehouse in Gardena, CA for many years.   This is 
virtually a brand-new car, suffering from a lifetime of neglect.  It also 
has a twin-turbo 340 in it, but I don't think it's ever been finished, so I 
don't think it runs.   I saw it several years ago but didn't think to take 
photos of it; I've been meaning to go back and look at it more closely, and 
may get the opportunity to do so in the next few months, now that I have a 
Scirocco established permanently at LAX once again.

These Shelby Panteras, by the way, came about because De Tomaso, Lee 
Iacocca, and Hank Carlini (the latter two former big shots at Ford who moved to 
Chrysler) were deeply exploring the notion of introducing the GT5-S into the 
US market as a Chrysler project.   Kirk Evans got into the middle of things, 
as the Auto Exotica (later Amerisport) guy, and funneled several cars to the 
USA to serve as test mules.   Eventually Chrysler decided that the Pantera 
just wasn't the answer, so they punted on the idea, went back to the drawing 
board and developed the Viper roadster instead.

Mike